A Postman's Tale: A Letter for Ganondorf
by MangoKat
Summary: COMPLETE! Villain's must receive mail, right? This is the story of one of The Postman's misadventures during another war with Ganondorf.
1. A Letter For Ganondorf

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**Please Read Author Note!  
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**I am slowly going to be re-writing this part of The Postman series as my writing skills have improved somewhat since starting. Chapter one of this story has been updated and I will state at the beginning of the chapter whether it has been rewritten. Keep in mind that the later parts of the series get better hence the reason for the revision.  
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**Anyone new to reading my series will notice that this series is a complete mash-up of all the Zelda games. There is no set time-line and this is assuming that all Links are the same person.**

**A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed A Postman's Tale thus far, it is very much appreciated. Any suggestions, criticisms or feedback is welcomed and encouraged.**

**I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.**

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**A Postman's Tale  
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A Letter for Ganondorf

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It is a well-known fact that the gods enjoy a good joke. The proof of this is the little world they created by the name of Rock. In this world, or more specifically, in the continent of Hyrule, they threw together so many different races of creatures, the people were always in disagreement. The Gorons hated the Deku-Scrubs, the Zora hated the Moblins, the humans hated the desert people and no one truly got along. Their cultures and traditions were always clashing, they constantly quarrelled, but there was one thing everyone agreed upon; The world they lived in was a horrible and dangerous place.

The towns were noisy, dirty and poor but everywhere else in the land was much too dangerous to settle in. Only those who were either very powerful or very foolish dared travel out of their villages. Those who were foolish tended not to live very long and those who were powerful tended to either become great heroes or completely deranged. Most of the common people were divided between being generally honest and complete scum-bags.

The three provinces that made up the mainland of Hyrule were at war and the roads were treacherous for those who were unprepared for them. Things had been that way for ten long years and many villagers had become so accustomed to it, they no longer put any thought into it. Warriors defended their country and the villagers stayed well out of their way. That's just the way things were.

At night, dangerous creatures roamed the fields freely, no longer being repressed and quickly growing in number. They served Ganondorf, king of the Gerudos, a fierce and powerful man, who had quickly become the most feared man in the history of Hyrule. He had viciously attacked the mainland in the attempt at a takeover ten years prior and had failed. The boy now known as the Hero of Time had defeated him. Although Ganondorf's initial attempt had been foiled, his forces remained strong and he still vowed to win the war.

There was a man, however, that everyone seemed to overlook. He wasn't a warrior and he wasn't powerful in the least. In fact, he was thin and several inches too short, not even a speck compared to the Hero of Hyrule. Despite the odds against him, the man travelled the roads daily, always rushing and never having time to be afraid. It wasn't just the surrounding fields and villages that the man braved, he climbed the bordering mountains, waded his way through poisonous swamps, ventured into the dangerous Lost Woods, and even occasionally crossed the deserts into Gerudo territory. Wherever his job demanded, the man was sure to go.

Who was this brave man? Was he an adventurer? Was he a fool looking for certain doom? No, he was The Postman.

Nobody ever gave much thought to The Postman, he was always just there and always on time. It had never occurred to them how he crossed the fields or why none of the monsters attacked him. Why would they care as long as their mail was on time?

The monsters in the field would normally attack any traveller, whether man, Goron, Zora, or Kokiri, but they never laid tooth nor claw on The Postman. It wasn't because they respected him or that they even liked him for that matter, it was because he was easily overlooked. He was a slight creature who never stopped moving and never bothered them. After a while, they didn't even notice him anymore. He could move about the land delivering his mail with more freedom than even the Hero of Hyrule. He was fast, efficient, and incredibly proud of his job; no one could deliver a letter faster than he.

Although The Postman wasn't impressive in any way, he had 12 years of service as a postal worker and was completely confident in his abilities to always be on time. He was as stubborn as a mule and just about as serious as a person could be. He came from a very long line of postmen, going back many generations, and was the pride of his family. He delivered any letter given to him no matter who it was for and everyone knew someday he would become the postmaster.

The Postman saw many amazing sights in his travels and had numerous unintentional adventures. This is one of his tales.

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The screams of wild animals echoed eerily through the Lost Woods as The Postman ran hurriedly through. Dressed all in white of his uniform, he had his mailbag slung across his back, and his hat pulled down snugly over his pointed ears. It was getting to be the nippy season and already the leaves were beginning to change. The thick, colourful foliage did nothing to slow him down however as he expertly navigated through. He hopped over a fallen log and entered the labyrinth that was the heart of Darkwood without hesitation. Stepping around the sleeping forest Dekus carefully, he kept his eyes ahead, knowing exactly where he was going.

After a moment and a shortcut later, he came to an old crumbling staircase and started up, tipping his hat politely to the Giant Moblin at the top. The Moblin was leaning heavily on his spiked club, a bored expression on his face. Moblins weren't known for their patience and this one was no exception. He had been hoping someone important would wander by so he could crush them but so far it had been a boring day. He paid no attention to The Postman, the thin human not even worth his time.

The Postman came to a large clearing, where a small, green-haired Kokiri could be seen near the forest's temple. The girl looked up in surprise as he approached, then smiled when she saw who it was. Setting down the wooden ocarina she'd been playing, she nodded at him in greeting.

"Hey, I have a letter for you, Miss Saria!"The Postman exclaimed.

The Postman held a letter in front of him as he approached, coming to a stop just inches away.

She accepted the letter and immediately ripped into it eagerly. Kokiri didn't often get mail, but she had a feeling who it was from. As she read through it, her eyes widened in shock. "Link's in Clocktown? Why ever is he all the way there?!"

Link, the Hero of Time, was well-known to be friends with the Kokiri, and frequently sent them letters while on his quests.

Saria looked up. "When did you-" she stopped and looked around the clearing. The Postman was already gone. Sighing, she went back to reading her letter.

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The Postman ran back through the Lost Woods quickly, pulling out his next letter as he did so. As he wove through the labyrinth that was the Lost Woods, he looked down at the name.

Ganondorf-King of Gerudos

There wasn't a creature alive who didn't know that name. None of that meant anything to The Postman however, as in his opinion, politics and war were none of his business. The only thing that mattered to him was his job. He had a letter to be delivered and there was no greater priority. He'd been to the outer villages of Desert quite a few times, but never the inner city. He was already planning on heading to the desert anyway, so he could take a detour to deliver it without messing up his daily schedule.

Once he got out onto the fields, he sped up, crossing it in little time at all, heading towards the borders of the desert. His goal set firmly in mind, he passed the Gerudo territorial markers, knowing exactly which direction to go.

The valley on the borders of the desert was a dark and treacherous place. Tall cliffs loomed on either side of the road, shadowing the valley and making it seem even deadlier than it was. There were no plants or animals living in the valley, everything long since perished as the desert expanded. This was the only way to the desert from the mainland, the cliffs much too dangerous to scale.

Years ago, the king of Hyrule Province had attempted to block the valley to keep the desert people out, but all the men he sent had 'mysteriously' disappeared. There was no blood, no armour found, they were simply gone without a trace. Since then, no one dared go near the valley thinking it haunted or cursed.

Easily avoiding the occasional falling stone from the cliffs, The Postman soon passed the last warning marker left for travellers. There was a large pile of rocks ahead of him where the valley had begun being blocked off before the king's soldiers had vanished. That was usually how far people came. Beyond the rock barrier was hostile territory and only the best warriors travelled beyond it.

The Postman crawled up over the rocks, separating the two lands and continued on his way, still dodging falling rocks and debris. He stepped onto the hot sand of the desert, looking far ahead at the Gerudo city. The entire city was built of stone, a five metre wall surrounding it, guards posted at every corner. Ganondorf didn't like surprises and had his city completely prepared for war. The Postman couldn't see all the details from where he stood so he continued on his way confidently. He passed through a couple of the small outer villages, the people poor but well-taken care of by their king.

The city was much farther than it looked and after a time, The Postman paused to catch his breath and take a drink from his canteen. He was actually ahead of schedule for once, so he wasn't in that big of a hurry. He had finished most of his deliveries for the day and he didn't have to move on for a few hours yet.

Resuming his travels, The Postman continued across the desert.

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When he came to a steep sand dune, he paused a moment and looked far below at the drop. He was over-looking the city, which appeared anything but friendly. The city had been built on a beautiful oasis, the only fertile land in all of the desert and that was half the reason Ganondorf wanted the mainland. He felt his people had been given the short end of the stick and he was determined to take the plentiful land by force.

The Postman could now clearly see the armed guards on every wall and the barracks surrounding the city. The Postman had never delivered a letter to the main Gerudo city before and considered how to go about it. He had never refused a single delivery in his entire career and his pride wouldn't allow him to start now.

The Postman waited just a moment as he caught his breath, then with a few well-timed jumps, he was at the bottom of the dune, his uniform still spotless. He looked up at the enormous wall of the city, his eyes scanning for a way in.

He quickly saw the city gate was closed with no other entrance to speak of. The Postman was used to difficult deliveries, and slipped off his mailbag, approaching a nearby tree. He tossed it up so the strap landed over a tree branch then grabbed a hold of it and pulled himself up. Now crouched precariously in the tree, The Postman slipped the bag back over his shoulder, making special care he didn't damage the mail within.

He climbed to the highest branches and very carefully walked along one of them to the top of the wall. Being thin as he was, the branch bore his weight, only letting out a slight creak of protest. He hopped onto the wall and began walking carefully along it, noting the guards hadn't noticed anything. They clearly didn't value their job performance such as he did, and even when he passed them by, they did nothing more than give him a curious look. The Postman wasn't threatening in the least, and the fact he wasn't sneaking around made them pointedly ignore him.

The Postman walked along the top of the wall which led straight to the castle and no one paid any attention to him or tried to stop him. Stepping onto the roof of the castle, he wondered how he would get down and explored the roof curiously. He came to a small, conspicuous looking trap door and knelt down next to it. He took the handle and gave it a hard tug, the trapdoor opening with a creak and a large cloud of dust. He peered down at the dusty steps which disappeared down into the darkness.

Shrugging, he went down the stairs, the air stale and full of dust. Feeling his way along the wall, he came to a metal vent in the wall and pushed against it. It popped open and he saw he was in a hallway of some sort with no one in sight. Jumping down, he landed nimbly on his feet and wondered where he was in the castle. In his experience, all villains liked being overly dramatic, so he knew it would be wise to check the tower first. His instincts were rarely wrong, so he wandered along the hallway until he came to a dark and foreboding staircase, spiralling upwards. Knowing this was likely where the throne room would be, The Postman pulled out the letter and hurried up.

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Ganondorf was having a bad day. In fact, it seemed like he was having a bad decade. He slouched down in his throne and scowled at nothing in particular. He had been defeated by the Hero of Time once again and now had to come up with a completely different strategy. He was getting really fed up with the hero and wished he could up with a way to get rid of him. Preferably something painful and slow. Running a hand through his red hair thoughtfully, he mentally went through all the particularly nasty spells he knew.

Several large Moblins lined the walls guarding, spears in hand and bored out of their minds. They'd been standing there all day, hoping for new orders but so far there had been nothing. Their master had been in a foul mood since the battle so no one dared voice their complaints or even move for that matter. It was better to not attract attention to one's self in these situations.

Ganondorf tapped his fingers on the arm of his throne, trying to think up a new plan. He had thought through his previous plans, picking out the most obvious mistakes, trying to see if he could rework them. When nothing new came to mind he sighed and slowly stood to his feet. He needed some inspiration. His eyes flicked over to the guards. He needed to hurt something, that always got the creative juices flowing. The only question was, who would it be?

As his eyes scanned over his minions, the doors to the throne-room burst open dramatically and a strange unfamiliar man came running in. When the man's eyes fell on Ganondorf, he sped over at top speed.

"Hey!" he called. "I have a letter for you, Mr. Ganondorf!"

Ganondorf drew his sword at the quickly approaching man and pointed it directly at his face, ready for a battle. Unafraid, The Postman gave him a friendly smile and thrust an envelope into Ganondorf's face.

"I have a letter for you, Mr. Ganondorf!" he repeated.

Ganondorf faltered, his gaze on the white envelope. He immediately narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "A what?"

"A letter, Mr. Ganondorf, for you!"

"How did you get in here?!" Ganondorf asked, sword pointed at The Postman's throat. "I don't allow outsiders in my city."

"The postal service knows no borders, sir."

The sword was pressed even closer in warning.

Not intimidated, The Postman held out the letter again.

"Your letter, Sir."

"How did you get in here?" Ganondorf demanded again.

"Through the door."

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" Ganondorf said, his voice dripping in malice. "There are guards posted everywhere, how did you get into my castle?"

"Through a trapdoor, sir."

Ganondorf could feel his frustration reaching an alarming point. "Where is this 'trapdoor'?" he asked, venom in every word.

"On the roof."

"And how, pray tell, did you get on the roof?" he demanded.

"I climbed a tree outside of the wall."

Ganondorf hesitated a moment. "A tree? You got in here by climbing a tree? Five metres of thick unbreakable stone which I spent two months enchanting and you manage to get in by climbing a tree?"

"Yes, sir."

Ganondorf pursed his lips. He made a mental note to send the minions out to cut down all the trees within a five mile radius. After that he'd punish them for allowing such a thing to happen in the first place.

The Postman held out the letter for the third time. "Your mail, sir." He couldn't leave until he'd successfully delivered the mail to the appropriate person.

Ganondorf was naturally a paranoid person and eyed the envelope distrustfully before snatching it out of The Postman's hands. As he ripped it open, The Postman turned to leave.

"Hold it." Ganondorf ordered. "I didn't say you could leave."

"Do you have a letter you wish to be delivered?" The Postman asked, instantly all business.

"No."

"Then I cannot stay, I have to get to Lake Hylia by day's end."

"You will stay there or I will gut you before you take two steps!" Ganondorf threatened, pulling the letter from the envelope.

The Postman crossed his arms against his chest, unimpressed. "You will make me late for my deliveries!" he stated, shifting from foot to foot. "I am never late!"

"You may have won one million rupees-" Ganondorf read aloud. He paused to give The Postman a hard look. "You expect me to believe you came all the way out here just to deliver junk-mail?"

The Postman nodded. "It is your mail, Mr. Ganondorf, and it is my job to deliver it."

Ganondorf crumpled the letter in his fist and threw it to the floor. "What is your real purpose here?" he snarled. "Are you a spy for Hyrule?"

"No, Sir, I am a postman." The Postman answered, shifting about again, anxious to get going.

"What's in that bag?" Ganondorf demanded, pointing at the mailbag suspiciously.

"Mail, Sir."

"Give it to me."

The Postman shook his head. "This is not your mail, Mr. Ganondorf. Reading other peoples mail is not allowed."

"I said give it to me!" Ganondorf yelled, causing every minion in the room to flinch.

The Postman adamantly shook his head. "It is against the rules." he fidgeted again and again, knowing he was going to be late if he didn't leave soon.

Ganondorf looked the skinny postman up and down noting the hat, white shorts and sandals, trying to come to a conclusion. The Postman stepped from foot to foot continuously, which was beginning to annoy the Gerudo king.

"Can't you stay still?" he demanded.

"No, sir. I'm going to be late."

"I want you to tell me who you work for."

"I am a postman, I work for everyone."

"Who. Do. You. Work. For!" Ganondorf ground out, certain the man in front of him wasn't just a postman.

The Postman blinked. "I'm a civil servant, sir, I work for everyone."

"TELL ME WHO YOU WORK FOR!" the walls shook from the sheer volume of the yell but The Postman remained unmoved.

"I am a postman, I work for everyone." he repeated.

"I'll just find out for myself." Ganondorf snapped, reaching for the mailbag.

The Postman stepped away. "Mail is private, sir, you may not open other peoples letters!" he scolded, clutching the bag to his chest.

Ganondorf's eyes narrowed to slits. He made a lunge and grabbed the bag by the strap. Immediately, The Postman wrapped his arms around it, and was picked up with the bag. Ganondorf shook the bag a few times, trying to dislodge him but The Postman determinedly held on, protecting the letters within.

Deciding it wasn't worth it, Ganondorf threw him to the floor in disgust.

"You must think me a fool, spy. Hyrule will not win this war, and you will not be returning to them. I have patience for neither spies nor morons."

"I am not a spy."

'Nor a moron.' The Postman added mentally.

Ignoring him, Ganondorf turned his gaze to the guards.

"Take him to the dungeons!" he ordered.

The Moblins exchanged looks of confusion. Arrest the postman? Why? To them, he didn't look like he was even worth their master's time, let alone worth imprisoning. Shrugging, they approached to do as told. As they grabbed him by the arms and dragged him out of the room, The Postman's only protest was.

"But you're going to make me late!"

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"Oh, foo."

The Postman stared at the steel bars of his cell unhappily and let out a deep sigh. Most people would have berated themselves for getting themselves into such a mess, but not The Postman. He saw the whole situation as more of an inconvenience to his job.

The cell he was in was dirty, damp and smelled vaguely of rotten meat, exactly what one would expect from a villain's dungeon. The Postman was an incredibly clean person by nature so he was careful not to touch anything, standing perfectly still in the centre of the room. Looking around himself with a frown, he gave another sigh. He was going to be really late; he'd NEVER been late before! What would the people think of him? They'd lose all confidence in his service! In the future, he would be sure to fill out the paperwork for hazard pay any time he had a letter for Ganondorf and also schedule himself a bit more time.

Nursing a skinned knee, The Postman dabbed at the blood with his handkerchief then gave another glance around the cell. There were no windows, no drainage pipes, and no ventilation shafts. The room didn't even have any cracks in the walls. It was seemingly impenetrable, the only way out the locked door.

He approached the bars and gave them a hard shake. The door was securely locked and with all the strength he possessed, the most he could do was make the bars rattle. Wiping the grime off his hands on his handkerchief, he tried to think of a way to escape. Nothing coming immediately to mind, he tried shaking the bars again. They were just as secure as the first time.

Just when he was about to give up, he noticed something odd about the bars. Turning sideways, The Postman sucked in his stomach and squeezed his way through them.

Obviously they didn't make jail cells for people with no muscle mass to speak of! He was indeed incredibly slim, but also wiry and fast. There was no one guarding him, so he quickly ran down the empty hallway towards the stairs. The Postman crawled out the first window he came across into the courtyard. Unthreatening in every possible way, none of the Gerudos paid him any mind.

The Postman ran up the outer stairs leading to the castle walls, and came face to chest with a patrolling Moblin. With the air of importance, The Postman puffed out his chest and pointed to his postal badge.

"Delivering postman, please step aside!"

Both surprised and confused, the Moblin stepped out of the way. He watched The Postman pass him by and scratched as his head, feeling that something wasn't quite right. His mind moved very slowly however, and he was still staring after The Postman long after he had disappeared out of sight.

The Postman ran along through the busy city streets, heading towards the gate. Many of the Gerudo citizens stared at him as he passed, but none tried to stop him. If he had of been a tall, muscular and armed hero, that would have been a completely different story. A wimpy looking man in a strange uniform was more of a curiosity to them than a threat.

Reaching the gate, he raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun and squinted up at the guards high above on the wall.

"Excuse me!" he yelled up.

Two Moblins looked down at him.

"I need to get out, please open the gate."

Regular citizens never left the safety of the city and although it wasn't breaking any laws, it was still extremely unusual. The two guards stared down at him, completely bewildered.

"Is he one of us?" one Moblin whispered to the other. "I've never seen him before."

"He must be." the other Moblin replied. "He's in here, ain't he?"

The first Moblin stared at The Postman's uniform and hat thoughtfully. "I dunno, he kinda looks like a weirdo to me...and Lord Ganondorf doesn't like men visiting the city."

"Excuse me!" The Postman yelled even louder. "I need to leave or my next delivery is going to be late! Please open the gate!"

"Delivery?" one of the Moblins questioned.

"I am a postman, sir, now please let me out."

The Moblin blinked in surprise. "He called me sir!" he exclaimed. " I never got called 'sir' before!"

His partner frowned. "You are not a sir, Lord Ganondorf is a sir. There must be some sort of law against improper use of titles...I'll have to report this."

"Well, he was the one to call me a sir." the Moblin defended. "You're just jealous."

"EXCUSE ME!" The Postman bellowed. "Let me out, please!"

"You be quiet down there, we're discussing important things."

"You're making me late!" The Postman protested, wondering if he should have just left the way he came. "Do you want to be responsible for making the mail late?"

There was one thing that would get a Moblin moving and that was the thought of getting in trouble. They didn't know who The Postman was, but they also didn't want to chance getting in trouble with their king. If The Postman turned out to be someone of importance, it could mean their jobs (or their lives). The Moblins exchanged looks then decided they didn't especially care what The Postman did. He didn't look dangerous to them so they were inclined to let him go. Cranking the gate open just enough to let The Postman through, they went back to arguing.

Once outside of the city, The Postman ran as fast as he could back into the desert.

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**Reviews Make the Author Happy! :D**


	2. Another Letter for Ganondorf

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**Authornote:**

**Okay everyone, here's chapter 2!**

**Anyone new to reading my series will notice that this series is a complete mash-up of all the Zelda games. There is no set time-line and this is assuming that all Links are the same person.**

**A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed A Postman's Tale thus far, it is very much appreciated. Any suggestions, criticisms or feedback is welcomed and encouraged.**

**I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.**

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**A Postman's Tale  
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**Another Letter for Ganondorf**

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The Postman had been late with his next delivery. He wasn't horribly late, just an hour or so but it had thoroughly traumatized him. He'd never been late before. Sometimes, the Kokiri caused him to get a bit behind schedule with their incessant questions and curiosity, but never late. This was something entirely new to him and He HATED it. He prided himself in his ability to always be on time and now he'd had to apologize to three different customers for being late. No one had seemed to notice or care that he was running behind, but it still bothered him.

Currently The Postman was crossing Hyrule field, his eyes set on Lon Lon Ranch. As he reached the entrance, he pulled out a thick letter and headed for the pen, where a small girl and an overweight bearded man could be seen feeding the horses. As he approached, he held up the letter with a friendly grin.

"HEY!" he yelled out, drawing their attention.

Once to them, he proudly thrust the letter to Talon with a little 'ta da'.

"I have a letter for you, Mr. Talon."

Talon looked a bit confused for a second, then accepted the letter as the Postman turned to leave.

"Wait a second." Talon said, glancing up at him. "I have something I need delivered."

Talon tore into the envelope and began reading as the Postman shifted about impatiently. One of the horses nudged him gently so he reached out to pet her nose distractedly, as he waited for Talon to finish. Malon noticed his restlessness and frowned at her father.

"Dad!" Malon scolded. "You're holding him up! Read the letter later!"

"Oh, er, right, of course." Talon said, a bit embarrassed. "Sorry about that."

Scratching his bulging stomach, Talon gave a yawn and motioned for the postman to follow him. The Postman trotted after the rancher eagerly towards the house, wanting to get on his way. Once inside the house, Talon left him downstairs while he went to fetch his letter.

The entire bottom floor of the farmhouse had chickens pecking about and despite himself, The Postman wrinkled his nose. He stared down at the swarm of chickens uneasily and pushed one of them away from him with the toe of his sandal. The chickens seemed curious of him and the swarm kept coming uncomfortably close. As he was pushing a few more chickens away from himself, Talon returned carrying an envelope.

"This is to go to Galanda in Gerudo valley. I'm selling her one of my horses and she needs to sign this contract. Make sure she gets this right away."

The Postman gave a salute. "Yes, Mr. Talon, right away! You can count on me!"

He placed the letter safely in his mailbag, then immediately left the farmhouse, his new destination in mind. As he ran out of the ranch and across Hyrule field, he sped up, wanting to deliver his last letter before dark. He passed by a sleeping peahat and several moblins who paid him no mind and as he approached the canyon outside of the entrance to Gerudo valley, a Poe appeared in front of him, cackling and spinning above his head mischievously. It didn't seem to mean him any harm so The Postman decidedly ignored it as he ran past, the Poe vanishing a moment later with a disappointed sigh.

As he crossed the bridge towards Gerudo valley, the air became noticeably warmer and he saw several construction workers sprawled out in front of a tent from the heat. They gave him a curious, and pitying glance as he continued running towards Gerudo valley but none tried to stop him.

With purpose, The Postman strode into Gerudo valley and pulled out his last letter of the day. When he came within sight of the Gerudo's, disgust and anger flitted across the women's faces. The Postman approached the Gerudo fortress and within seconds he was surrounded, spears pointed at his throat and over a dozen warriors scowling at him.

Nonplussed, he scanned the faces of the Gerudo's then gave a big grin and held out the letter to one of them.

"Hey! I have a letter for you, Miss Galanda!"

The woman in question narrowed her eyes for a moment then let out an irritated sigh as she recognized him.

"It's just the postman." she said to her cohorts.

The Gerudo's looked annoyed as they pulled away their weapons, disappointed they wouldn't get to kill any men today.

"Your mail, miss." The Postman said politely, still holding out the letter.

Galanda snatched up the letter, tore into it and read it with a scowl. "If that fool thinks I'm signing a contract then he has another thing coming! He's just lucky I don't take the horse instead of buying it!"

Looking up, she saw The Postman was already half-way out of the valley.

"You, stop where you are!" she snapped at The Postman.

"Did you have something you wish to be delivered?" he questioned.

Sticking her hand into her pocket, she pulled out a crumpled letter. "Here, take this to my son."

The Postman accepted the letter and looked at the name written on front. Ganondorf-King of the Gerudo's.

"Make sure you get his response. Now go."

"Yes, Miss, you can count on me!"

As The Postman ran out of the valley, he wondered what Ganondorf would say this time. Glad this was at least his last delivery for the day and tomorrow was Sunday, he knew it wouldn't really matter if he was a bit delayed.

When he passed by the construction workers, they stared at him in shock and awe, obviously surprised he'd made it back out unscathed.

He tipped his hat politely to them and crossed the bridge, whistling jauntily. The air instantly cooling once he crossed the bridge, he made his way back out to Hyrule field as he placed the letter in his mailbag.

It was getting to be late afternoon, and he squinted up at the sun, knowing he didn't have too long before dark. The Postman took his job incredibly seriously and knew it would be just impolite to deliver mail after dark. Speeding up, he passed by the Poe who again seemed disappointed he was being ignored. As he approached Hyrule castle, he saw the Hero of Time, riding out across the field, a determined and angry expression on his face. Wondering what had happened to cause the hero to become so serious, he watched as Link disappeared across the field in the direction of Kokiri village.

Knowing he'd find out sooner or later, The Postman continued on his way towards Kakariko village.

The village was winding down for the day, most people already inside for supper and The Postman passed through, knowing he really had to hurry, as climbing Death Mountain in the dark was dangerous and extremely hazardous to his mail if he happened to have a fall.

When he reached Goron City, loud drumming from within could be heard and he passed by a curious goron who watched as he climbed over the rocks to the outer mountains. As he balanced along the rocks, he saw the sun beginning to dip below the horizon. Speeding up, he began leaping from one spot to another.

He could still hear the sounds of drumming from the Goron city as he jumped from rock to rock and wondered what it meant. From what he understood, loud pounding of drums meant war, but he hadn't heard any news of it since he moved around so much. He hopped down the side of the cliff and looked up at the dark, looming castle in front of him. The first thing he noticed was that every single tree within sight had been cut down. He circled the entire castle but he could see no way to get over the wall.

Shifting his mailbag slightly as he thought, The Postman glanced around the area hoping for some inspiration. His gaze landed on the pile of trees laying beside the wall and he pondered. Approaching, he pulled one of the lighter trees upright and leaned it against the wall. Now seeing that it reached the top, he grabbed a limb and began climbing as it wavered precariously. Just as the tree fell back down, The Postman grabbed the ledge and pulled himself up onto the wall.

Just as before, he walked along the wall until he found the trap door and hopped through into the castle. He ran up the stairs leading to the highest tower and opened the door. He found Ganondorf in his throne room surrounded by several large monsters, having a meeting of some sort. The guards posted at the door gave him a curious look but didn't try to stop him.

"Heyyy!" The Postman yelled with a friendly smile.

Ganondorf narrowed his eyes at the quickly approaching man and drew his sword. The Postman held the letter up as he approached, unconcerned over the villain's scowl or the sword almost as tall as himself.

"I have a letter for you, Mr. Ganondorf!"

Ganondorf frowned as he recognized The Postman but didn't lower his weapon. "Didn't I throw you in the dungeon?" he asked, sounding slightly puzzled.

"Yes, sir." The Postman answered, holding the letter right under Ganondorf's nose. "Ta da!"

"I don't remember letting you out..." Ganondorf said, his eyes narrowing further. "I NEVER release my prisoners."

"Your letter, sir."

Ganondorf batted the letter away from his face irritably and pointed his sword directly at the smaller man's chest. "Explain to me how you escaped my dungeon." he ordered. "Did someone release you?"

The Postman shifted about anxiously, staring at the fallen letter with all his concentration. He hadn't technically delivered the letter yet so it was making him extremely uncomfortable seeing it laying there. Ganondorf followed his gaze and scowled.

"Answer my question or I'll beat it out of you!"

The Postman very slowly knelt next to the letter, his eyes on Ganondorf the entire time. The Gerudo King surprisingly allowed it, not saying a word. Once his fingers closed over the letter however, Ganondorf stepped down from his throne directly onto the hand. The Postman winced but didn't relinquish his hold on the letter. He stared up at Ganondorf as the sword was pressed against the back of his neck.

"Now that I have your attention," Ganondorf drawled. "How did you get out of the dungeons?"

"I left."

"What do you mean by 'left'?" Ganondorf snarled.

"I was going to be late, so I left."

Ganondorf pressed the sword down a bit harder. "How did you get out?" he demanded getting frustrated.

"I walked."

Ganondorf muttered something incoherent under his breath and glowered down at The Postman. "Explain to me exactly how you escaped from your cell. Did someone open the door for you?"

The Postman shook his head. "No, sir."

"Then HOW?"

"The bars were quite wide apart..."

"What are you talking about?" Ganondorf snapped. "Do you mean to tell me you squeezed through the bars?"

"Yes, Mr. Ganondorf."

Ganondorf lowered the sword and held his hands several inches apart. "The bars are only about this far-" he stopped when he compared the distance between his hands and The Postman's slight form. "Hmph. Well, maybe that was possible." he conceded.

The Postman pulled on his hand to no avail and gave another wince. "Your mail is going to get dirty, sir."

Ganondorf glanced down at his boot then the letter in aggravation. He was vaguely curious but was not willing to let this go.

"So, you manage to escape, you get past my minions and you have the audacity to return?"

"I am a postman, sir. It's my job to deliver people's mail; even yours."

Ganondorf let out a snort of disbelief and took a seat in his throne, thus releasing the other man's hand. The Postman pulled his hand away to his chest and rubbed it a few times before again holding out the letter.

"Your letter, sir!"

Ganondorf let out a growl of frustration and grabbed The Postman by the front of the shirt, easily lifting him off his feet.

"Don't you know who I am?" he demanded. "Why aren't you afraid ? You're nothing compared to me; not even a speck! I could kill you without ever laying a hand on you!"

"Very probable, sir." The Postman agreed, while again holding out the letter. "Please accept your letter!"

"Why are you so determined to give that to me? What if I don't want it?"

"You must take it, sir!" The Postman insisted. "Even if you throw it away after, I must deliver all my mail!"

Ganondorf gave him a long steady look before snatching the letter and throwing The Postman to the floor. Ripping it open, he read in silence a moment before looking up with narrowed eyes.

"This is from my mother."

"Yes, sir, she asked me to deliver it to you." The Postman answered, getting back to his feet.

"How did you get into the Gerudo Fortress without being killed?" Ganondorf demanded suspiciously.

"I am The Postman, sir. Everyone gets mail."

"You mean to tell me that they allowed you into the most secure Gerudo area just because you're the postman?"

"Yes, sir."

Ganondorf scowled then continued reading. A few moments later he looked up. "Why are you still here? You should be glad I haven't thrown you back in the dungeon yet."

"Miss Galanda asked me to get a response and deliver it to her."

"Hmph, likely story. You're probably a spy from Hyrule!"

"No, sir, I'm The Postman."

The guards and monsters exchanged a look. Why was their master bothering the postman again? He was so insignificant, Ganondorf shouldn't even notice him. They were in the middle of planning an attack so it was peculiar.

"How did you get inside my castle again?"

"Through a trapdoor."

"Don't you start this again!" Ganondorf yelled, holding out his sword threateningly. "How did you get over the wall to my castle?"

"A tree, sir."

"You didn't. I had all the trees cut down."

"They were still there on the ground, sir. I just had to lean one against the wall."

"Of course." Ganondorf muttered, as he rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. "I never had mail before. Why do you insist on coming here now?"

"No one wrote you before." The Postman responded. "Now that they are, I'll deliver the mail."

"I don't care if I get 'mail' or not, you scrawny little maggot!" Ganondorf snarled. "I'm extremely busy and you keep interrupting me!"

"I apologize, sir, but it's my job."

Ganondorf gave him an ugly look. "GUARDS! Lock him in the dungeon!"

The guards who had been watching the scene with interest, instantly stepped forward and seized The Postman by the arms. "Yes, sir!" they chorused.

"Put him in the small cell and make sure he stays there!"

"Yes, sir!" the guards answered, dragging The Postman away.

Once they were gone, Ganondorf looked down at the letter in his hand and scowled.

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The Postman was shoved inside the tiniest cell he'd ever seen. It was so small, he had to sit with his knees tucked up under his chin to avoid his bare legs from brushing against the rusty metal. He'd been there a couple hours now and was starting to get cramped. The moblins gave him an almost pitying glance as they leaned against the wall watching.

"That used to be the master's dog-cage." one offered as an explanation. "Now he just uses it for people he really don't like."

"I was supposed to get a response from him." The Postman complained.

"I think you gots it." the other moblin stated, his hideous face curling up in amusement.

"Oh, foo." The Postman said, knowing it was probably too late to deliver the response that night anyway. That meant he'd have to deliver it on his day off tomorrow.

Rearranging himself slightly, he dug inside his mailbag and pulled out his lunch. (Which was carefully bagged of course!) He hadn't had time to eat it earlier and now he was glad he had it as he wasn't sure how long he'd be imprisoned. As he unwrapped his sandwich, the guards instantly sniffed in his direction.

"What's that?" one of them demanded.

The Postman held up his sandwich so they could see.

"You gonna share?" one of the guards asked, his stomach giving an audible growl.

The Postman hesitated as he regarded the two moblins. "I'll give you the whole thing if you let me out for a bit."

One of the guards crossed his arms. "We ain't allowed to do that. The master says you're to stay there."

"I won't leave, I just want to stretch my legs for a bit." The Postman promised.

The moblins exchanged a look then shook their heads. "No way. We'll get in trouble."

"Ok, fine." The Postman responded, taking a bite of his sandwich.

The moblins seemed to panic for a moment then exchanged another look. Maybe they could let him out for a bit...he wasn't exactly very strong or threatening...

"Alright." one of them conceded. "But if you try to step one toe out of line, you're going back in the cage!"

The Postman nodded as the moblin knelt down next to the cage and unlocked it. Being cautious of the rusted metal, The Postman crawled out under the watchful eyes of the moblins and took a seat on top of the cage.

"Food." one demanded, eyes on the sandwich.

The Postman handed over the sandwich and watched as the two moblin's got into a violent, and bloody brawl, both fighting for the sandwich. Supposing he could have mentioned that he had a second sandwich, The Postman shrugged. Swinging his legs and whistling to himself, The Postman glanced around the room, eyes settling on the open door. Looking back to the moblins, he slowly slid down off the cage and edged his way towards the door. The moblin's were much too intent on killing one another to notice what he was doing, so The Postman made it out the door without being seen.

He ran up the winding stairs, leading to the main level and passed by several stalfos who glanced at him but didn't stop their conversations. No one really seemed to notice him as he ran through the castle and when he reached the throne room he was disconcerted to find it empty.

He knew Ganondorf was here somewhere and entered the room, glancing about. The throne room seemed even more dark and dreary when it was empty, despite the lit candles on the walls. His eyes fell on a door at the far end of the room and he approached, his goal in mind.

Once he opened the door, a startling blue flash blinded him and he fell backwards in shock. He blinked several times heavily then looked up into the room as his eyes adjusted

. Ganondorf was wielding his sword against an opponent, a strange blue energy surrounding him as he concentrated, his face a mask of intensity. His red hair was soaked in sweat and his muscles were tense from the exertion of blocking the others attacks. He didn't see The Postman watching from the door, his eyes focussed entirely on his opponent.

The opponent was large and dark like a shadow and as The Postman looked a little more closely, he saw it was distinctly shaped like Ganondorf himself. The shadow had all of Ganondorf's moves and the energy that it shot out of it's sword was deep violet, almost black in colour.

Ganondorf parried the attack with a deep grunt of effort and shot his own energy ball at the shadow, the room lit by blue once more.

The Postman rubbed at his eyes then slowly closed the door. Knowing it probably wasn't a good idea to interrupt at this exact moment, he took a seat against the wall to watch.

Ganondorf pulled back his sword, his eyes cool and calculating. With a grunt he slashed at the shadow's head, but it ducked just in time, it's reflexes identical to his. Ganondorf, anticipating this, kicked it straight in the chest as hard as he could knocking it to the ground. Caught by surprise, the shadow barely managed to break its fall using one of it's arms and rolled out of the way, just missing the tip of Ganondorf 's sword.

"Playtime's over." Ganondorf sneered, swinging his sword full force.

Steel met steel in a shower of sparks and both put their full weight against their swords trying to get the upper hand. Unfortunately for the shadow, Ganondorf seemed to be the more vicious of the two and was able to push it back several steps. Not backing down, the shadow used every ounce of its strength to gain the ground it'd lost.

It was Ganondorf who finally broke away. He stabbed at the shadow ferociously, trying to catch it off guard once again. The shadow blocked the attack away from itself and kneed Ganondorf in the stomach. The wind knocked out of him, Ganondorf gasped in pain, clutching at his stomach as the shadow advanced.

The shadow began circling Ganondorf menacingly, it's sword glowing a dark purple as it readied for an attack. It charged.

Fiddling with his mailbag, The Postman eyes widened as Ganondorf dodged the incoming attack and stabbed the shadow straight through the stomach. The shadow melted into the floor and Ganondorf smirked at his victory.

Ganondorf gave a slight stretch to his arms, smirk still in place, clearly satisfied with the fight. A shadow on the floor began to pool, then as The Postman watched, it slowly rose back into the shape of Ganondorf. Ganondorf seemed none the wiser as the shadow stood behind him, raising it's sword for the kill.

The Postman gasped as it began bringing it down and quite by reflex, he shouted out. "Watch out!"

Ganondorf's head snapped around to look at him, then he swung out with his sword, again stabbing the shadow.

"Stay down." he ordered the shadow, his eyes narrowing to slits.

The shadow obediently remained as a puddle.

His expression like a storm-cloud, Ganondorf slowly formed an energy ball in the palm of his hand and began stomping across the room. He threw the energy as hard as he could at the other man and The Postman barely had enough time to duck.. The energy cracked and sizzled as it hit the wall and when The Postman looked up, there was a large singe-mark right above his head.

Ganondorf reached him and with one angry snarl, grabbed The Postman by the ankle and yanked him up so they were face to face. As The Postman hung there, upside-down, his shirt all the way to his chin, Ganondorf gave him a loathing look.

"How did you escape from prison?" he snarled, giving him a hard shake.

The Postman felt his eyes cross and shook his head to correct them as Ganondorf only seemed to get angrier.

"You've interrupted my private training, worm, and I want to know how you got out of that cage!"

"Well," The Postman began. "It all started with a sandwich..."

Ganondorf's eye twitched. "A sandwich." he repeated. "And how exactly did you- nevermind, it's not worth it."

Deciding the headache of trying to draw information out of the man not worth the migraine, he instead demanded. "Well? What do you want?"

Blood was starting to drain to his head and The Postman gave a slight grimace. "I still need a response to give Miss, Galanda." he explained. "I promised her I'd get one."

Ganondorf let out a infuriated bellow then fixed The Postman with a look that did not bode well.

"How many times do I have to tell you to leave me alone? I don't want your mail and I swear if I see you one more time, I'm going to feed you to the skullfish!"

"I'm just doing my job, sir. Did you want me to tell her you didn't want to respond?"

"No!" Ganondorf snarled angrily. "Don't tell her that!"

The Postman blinked up at him in all innocense. "Then what do you wish for me to tell her, sir?"

Ganondorf scowled a moment irritably, then said. "Do you have a quill and parchment?"

The Postman reached into his bag which was hanging above his head and pulled out said quill and paper. Ganondorf narrowed his eyes at him, then gave a heavy drawn out sigh.

"You ready?" he demanded.

The Postman had the quill and parchment at the ready, despite being held upside-down. "Yes, sir."

"Fine. Say I'm fine and yes I'm planning something a lot bigger. Tell her, I've already got my leverage and everything should be in place within the next few weeks. Also tell her she can go ahead and kill you after she receives this message as you're a pain."

"Is that all, Mr. Ganondorf?"

"Yes." Ganondorf growled, throwing him harshly to the ground.

The Postman barely had time to break his fall as he hit the floor, the wind being knocked out of him and he gave a slight wheeze as he lay there.

"Now, I suggest you get out of here before I change my mind about feeding you to the skullfish." Ganondorf warned, turning away from him.

The Postman rolled to his feet and straightened the parchment which had gotten a bit bent. Folding it over, he placed it into his mailbag then made a hasty retreat out of the room, his job done for the day.

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**Reviews Make the Author Happy! :D**


	3. How to Get Rid of an Annoyance

**Author Note:**

Anyone who's still reading this, I'd just like to let you know there's no set timeline for this story; it's just a bit of a mash-up of OOT, MM and TP. As long as you don't think too deeply into this, you'll be fine! lol

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**A Postman's tale **

**How to get rid of an annoyance**

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**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
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It had been several days since The Postman had last irritated him, so Ganondorf had pushed the two incidents to the back of his mind and almost forgotten about them. His week had thus far been hectic with all the planning and meetings and he didn't have time to think of anything else other than taking over Hyrule. The blasted Hero of Time had already fought his way through one of the demon temples protecting his magic relics, and he was trying to reinforce the others before it was too late. If The Hero managed to destroy all the relics, he'd lose a tremendous amount of power and The Hero then just might stand a chance against him.

Ganondorf scowled down the map. The hero had struck the demon temple in the forest first so it stood to reason he'd go for the one in the mountains next. The monster he'd placed in that temple was nasty but he was worried she wasn't strong enough. The Hero had a habit of killing anything thrown at him, so he'd have to make this temple even harder.

"Hmm, I'll put some Stalfos here...and some Redead over he-"

The throne room doors burst open with a loud bang and Ganondorf visibly jumped, much to his embarrassment. He looked up to see The Postman running across the room, large grin in place.

"Heyyy!" he yelled out.

Ganondorf slammed his quill to the table angrily, then let out a sigh as he waited for the inevitable.

"I have two letters for you, Mr. Ganondorf!" The Postman announced, more excited than before.

He held them up into Ganondorf's face as the man in question narrowed his eyes.

"Ta daaa!"

"Why aren't you dead?" Ganondorf demanded.

"Dead?"

"Yes, dead! As in, if you were dead, I would have much less distraction in my life!"

The Postman simply cocked his head and held out the letters once more.

"Why didn't my mother kill you as I asked?"

"She said I was the best Postman they've ever had and didn't want a replacement." The Postman explained, a little pride coming out in his voice. "Here are your letters, sir."

Ganondorf gave him a loathing look before he snatched the letters. As he tore into them, he fixed The Postman with a glare. "Don't go anywhere." he ordered.

"Did you have something you wish delivered, sir?"

"I do." Ganondorf said evasively as he read.

"Shop with greed, shop at Creeds..." Ganondorf read to himself with a scowl.

Both letters were more junk mail and Ganondorf tossed them aside without much thought. He observed how The Postman was already shifting about anxiously and enjoyed the other mans discomfort. Picking up his quill, Ganondorf pulled a blank piece of parchment towards himself and began writing.

When he was finished, he carefully folded it over and handed it over. The Postman immediately jumped forward to accept it as he pulled out an envelope from his bag. As he placed the letter into the envelope, he gave Ganondorf a cheerful, expectant look.

"And where do you wish me to deliver it to, Mr Ganondorf?"

Ganondorf smiled cruelly. "I heard a rumour there's a Yeti living on Snowpeak Mountain in Peak Province. Find him and give him that letter. Mark it a top priority; I want you doing nothing else but delivering my letter."

The Postman saluted, instantly serious. Priority mail was rare had to be delivered as soon as possible! No self-respecting postman would ever allow a priority letter to be late!

"You can count on me, Mr. Ganondorf!"

Ganondorf entwined his fingers as he gave The Postman another wicked smile and nodded. "Go, time is wasting! Out of my sight!"

The Postman seemed to panic a moment as he jumped into action, running for the door at his top speed. Once he was gone, Ganondorf gave a snicker. That took care of The Postman! There was no way that man would survive in those treacherous mountains. He'd either freeze to death or get killed by a monster, looking for a legendary Yeti which didn't exist!

Still chuckling as he picked up the map again, Ganondorf once again pushed The Postman to the back of his mind.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Ganondorf stood in the boss chamber of his water demon temple and was anything but impressed. The Hero of Time had yet again managed to defeat another one of his temples so this time he was overlooking this temple's defence personally. The monster he'd chosen to protect the temple didn't seem nearly as impressive now that the Hero had defeated two others before it. In fact, the giant piranha jellyfish seemed a little bit silly.

Scowling down into the pool of water, he wondered if it was too late to find a replacement.

"You're pathetic." Ganondorf muttered. "That boy will have no trouble killing you. Have you thought at all about your plan of action?"

The monster simply stared at him then halfheartedly squirted acid out of one of its tentacles. Ganondorf watched as part of the wall melted then gave a nod.

"Alright, I suppose that's ok. Anything else?"

The monster smashed it's tentacles onto the floor beside Ganondorf, sending tiny shockwaves through the room. Then with concentrated effort, it electrified the water. Ganondorf gave another nod.

"The Hero has a sword, watch out for your tentacles and make sure to not give him a chance to retaliate to your attacks!"

The monster growled in acknowledgement.

"I still have my doubts in you, monster. Prove me wrong and kill the brat!"

He received another growl.

"I'm going to oversee the rest of the temple. Don't disappoint me!"

As Ganondorf swept out of room, the monster gave him a dirty look.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Ganondorf spent the better part of the week reinforcing his temple and bringing in stronger minions. Satisfied the demon temple was now impenetrable, he retired back to his castle, to await word for when The Hero attacked. In a considerably good mood for the moment, he headed up to his tower, to relax for the night.

Once in the privacy of his tower, he closed the doors and approached the organ sitting against the far wall. He hadn't played in a while and it never ceased to relax him. The monstrously huge organ had been a gift from his surrogate mothers Koume and Kotake many years ago when they were encouraging him to find new creative outlets. He wasn't sure whether it had the effect they were looking for, but it did help him scheme when he was stressed.

He took a seat on the bench and ran his fingers over the keys lovingly before setting off on a slow and depressing melody. It had once terrified princess Zelda when he'd played for her and he knew that wasn't exactly a bad thing. He really hated the royal family and that spoilt brat princess was no better. Once he took over Hyrule, he'd move onto the other provinces until everything belonged to him and his people.

Closing his eyes, Ganondorf let his fingers glide over the keys as images of blood and chaos filled his mind. Smiling at the thoughts, he let out a sigh of contentment.

BANG

"Heeeey!"

Ganondorf abruptly stopped playing and snapped his head around to see The Postman running towards him, a package in hand.

Ganondorf turned fully towards him, feeling uncontrollable anger welling up.

"What are you doing back here? I thought I got rid of you!" he snarled.

"This is for you, Mr. Ganondorf!" The Postman said, cheerily. "The Yeti didn't want your letter but he did send you some soup!"

Ganondorf stared at him blankly for a moment before the words truly sunk in. "You actually found a Yeti?"

"Yes, sir. A postman always delivers mail to the appropriate person or creature!"

Ganondorf frowned, not sure whether to believe him, and eyed the lumpy package in The Postman's arms. The Postman held it out to him eagerly and Ganondorf hesitantly accepted it. Setting the suspicious package aside for the moment, he looked The Postman up and down with a frown. His white clothes were as spotless as ever and there was no indiction he'd been hiking up a mountain for the past week.

"You really went to Peak Mountain?" he questioned in disbelief.

"Yes, sir."

"Hrmph. Likely story. There's no proof of that."

As he stood from the bench, he caught The Postman's eyes lingering on the organ before he turned his full attention to Ganondorf once more.

"Don't you have other letter's to deliver?" Ganondorf demanded.

The Postman shook his head. "My replacement would still be delivering today's mail for this area."

"Replacement?"

"Yes, sir. I couldn't leave my mail unattended so I brought in a temporary replacement."

"Fine, fine, whatever." Ganondorf muttered. "I'll give you another priority letter to deliver."

As he crossed the room to his desk, The Postman glanced again at the organ. Ganondorf gave him a dirty look.

"What, pray tell, is so fascinating about the organ? Stupid man."

"Your playing was very pretty." The Postman complimented.

Ganondorf's face instantly turned red with rage. "I do not play 'pretty' music! It's dark and dreary and hateful, just like me."

The Postman blinked but didn't say a word. He scratched the back of his leg with his other foot but otherwise remained rooted to the spot as Ganondorf glared at him.

Ganondorf grabbed a quill and parchment irritably, then scribbled a quick note down. When he was finished, he folded it over and placed it inside a plain white envelope.

"Here."

The Postman trotted over and accepted the letter with a smile. "To whom is this to be delivered, Mr. Ganondorf?"

Ganondorf leaned back in his seat casually and watched The Postman a moment through lidded eyes. "In the Gerudo Mesa, there's a place called The Cave of Ordeals. There are 50 rooms in total and I want you to deliver this letter to The Great Fairy in room 50. As proof of your delivery I want you to bring back a jar of her tears. I don't care how you get them, but you'd better have them if you dare come back here!"

The Postman saluted. "Yes, sir, you can count on me!"

"Good, now get out of here so I can play my music in solitude!"

"...I do still think it's pretty." The Postman said quietly.

Ganondorf let out a roar and drew his sword. "That's it! I'm killing you right here and now!"

He stormed towards him sword raised for the kill but The Postman quickly bolted towards the door, letter still in hand.

"Priority mail, I have to get going now!" he called back.

Ganondorf watched after him with a scowl then lowered his sword. No one could survive the cave of ordeals, so either way, The Postman was dead. It didn't matter if he did it personally or not.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X

When, four days later, The Postman returned carrying a bottle of Great Fairy Tears, Ganondorf was both confused and perturbed. He stared at the small man in front of him, wondering what he was. No normal Hylian could get through the first room of the Cave of Ordeals, let alone all 50! He simply stared in silence as The Postman shifted about, bottle still in hands. Finally, Ganondorf frowned and demanded.

"Who are you?"

The Postman seemed confused. "I'm The Postman, sir, do you not remember me?"

"No, who are you really?" Ganondorf asked, his voice taking on an edge.

"I am The Postman."

Ganondorf slammed his fists atop his desk in frustration. "No normal person can do those things!" he yelled. "Why can you go where even the Hero of Time has trouble going?"

"Because, sir, I am The Postman! I can deliver a letter to anyone!"

Brown eyes met red as Ganondorf considered this. "You mean to say that you can go absolutely anywhere to deliver a letter? Despite certain death and untold dangers?"

"It is my job, sir."

Ganondorf rubbed at his chin in thought. "Maybe I won't kill you; I may have some use for you yet..."

"Here are the tears you asked for, sir. The fairy already had some ready as she was expecting someone else..."

Ganondorf set the tears on the desk distractedly then said. "I want you to work for me."

"I am a postman, sir, I work for everyone."

"I'll give you a good wage."

The Postman adamantly shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Ganondorf but I don't do this for money."

"I could kill you, you know."

"You could." The Postman agreed. "But then your mail won't be delivered."

Ganondorf hesitated a moment as he thought that through. "So if I were to order you to deliver packages or letters, you'd do it?"

"The packages have to be three pounds or less but yes I'm a postman, I deliver mail for everybody."

Ganondorf stared at him through narrowed eyes for a few moments then said. "Alright I have a letter for you to deliver."

"Of course, sir, where is it going?"

"To the Hero of Time."


	4. Of Treason and Obligations

**Author Note: **

Well, here's another chapter! Please read and review as reviews keep me motivated! ^.^

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**A Postman's tale **

**Of Treason and Obligations**

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Link slashed at the Stalfos just as it raised it's claws to attack and the monster fell lifeless to the ground. Breathing deeply from the many monsters he'd defeated, Link took a long drink from a bottle of milk. Instantly feeling better, he wiped the sweat from his brow and approached the chest before him. Navi hovered near his shoulder as he pushed the top open and reached inside. Inside was the Hookshot and he held it over his head triumphantly, knowing he could now defeat the demon water temple.

"Hey! Hey!" Navi yelled beside him. "Hey, listen!"

Link looked up as she floated around the Hookshot, trying to catch his attention.

"Now you can use this to get to platforms you can't reach!" she informed him helpfully.

Link raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. He was about half-way through the temple and so far it had been a really tough one. This temple seemed a lot more organized than the other ones and the villains were stronger than expected. Putting his hookshot away, Link exited the room, sword clenched tightly in his hand. He jumped from the doorway onto a floating dock and withdrew his bow as he was immediately bombarded by keese. Shooting as he ran along the swaying dock, he killed the keese one by one then jumped onto a platform across the room. As he crawled up the staggered platforms to the room above, he pulled out his hookshot, aiming for some vines far above.

His aim was true and as it retracted he was pulled up with it to a new room he hadn't seen yet. As he put the hookshot away again, Link looked up then froze at what was before him. Four iron knuckles stood, side by side, enormous axes held in their arms at the ready. They stared at him for a moment then slowly began lumbering towards him. Narrowing his eyes in concentration, Link drew his sword then charged.

"Heeeeeeey!" yelled out a voice startling Link and the iron knuckles into pausing.

All turned to see The Postman running across the room excitedly, letter in hand.

"I have a letter for you, Mr. Link!"

Once before the hero, he smiled and presented the letter with a flourish. "Ta da!"

Link simply stared at him. How did he get all the way through the temple and how did he get to this room without the hookshot? The Postman held out the letter to Link, giving the iron knuckles an apologetic look.

"Sorry, I'll just be a second." he explained.

"Your letter, Mr. Link."

"But..but how did you...?" Link sputtered, confused and just a bit wary.

"I am a postman, sir, and you had a letter to be delivered!" The Postman said as a way of explanation.

"Navi, info, now, on him!" Link said, pointing at The Postman cautiously.

He'd always found it strange The Postman could track him down on a quest and he'd seen him in many odd places but this was just ridiculous!

The fairy obediently flew over to The Postman and hovered over his head as she gave her explanation. "The Postman, he delivers letters all over the provinces. Very fast, very efficient and driven to be perfect at his job."

The Postman gave the fairy a curious look but quickly turned his attention back to Link and shoved the letter even closer. "Please accept your letter, Mr. Link."

Still confused, Link took the letter as Navi took her place over his shoulder.

The Postman gave him a smile, saluted then said. "Well, my business is concluded here! Onward to mail!"

Without another word, The Postman turned and ran out the far door, leaving Link feeling very confused. He didn't have long to dwell on this however, as the iron knuckles began stalking towards him once again.

* * *

**xxxxxxx**

His priority letter successfully delivered, The Postman whistled to himself as he headed towards his Hyrule Castle town office. He'd been away from his regular routes long enough and wondered how the replacement was doing. The evening was just setting in as he crossed Hyrule Field and he just managed to make it inside as the gate closed.

It was surprising how quiet town got after dark and he didn't see a single villager as he crossed town to the post office. Pulling out his keys, he was surprised when it was unlocked. Pushing open the door, he was met with the sight of the replacement postman, sitting next to the fireplace. The Postman waved a greeting and hung his mailbag on a hook near the door.

"Back already from today's deliveries? Not a lot while I was gone?" he asked.

The other postman gave a shrug. "Naw, not too bad at all! There were a few undeliverables while you were gone but that was it."

The Postman froze mid-step. "Undeliverables? What do you mean undeliverables?" he demanded.

The other postman pointed at the overflowing wastebasket. The Postman eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in both shock and horror. Pouncing at the wastebasket, he pulled out handfuls upon handfuls of letters and packages. He stared down at the pile of mail for a few seconds in a daze then he turned furious eyes up at the other postman.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. "You threw out people's mail? Why?"

"They weren't deliverable. Just look at who or where some of them are going! Some to the Gerudos, some to monsters, others to the hero of time! A few of those letters are even for Ganondorf! There's no way I can deliver those!"

The Postman clenched his fists in rage. "How can you call yourself a postman?" he snapped. "Everyone gets mail and it's our job to deliver it to them! There's no excuse, absolutely none for..for this!" he yelled, pointing at the mail.

The other postman rolled his eyes. "I'm not crazy enough to put myself in that kind of danger." he stated. "They're just villains and The Hero of Time probably doesn't have time for mail anyway!"

One of The Postman's eyes twitched and he took a very deep breath. "Out." he ordered, pointing at the door.

"What?"

"I said out."

"Are you serious? You're firing me?"

"You don't deserve to wear the emblem of a postman!" The Postman said, hand still pointed to the door. "Now, get out!"

"But I'm your brother! You can't fire me!"

"Out!"

The other postman gave him a really dirty look as he got up and shoved passed him towards the door. Once he was gone, The Postman locked the door and let out a heavy, frustrated sigh. He knew he should have been more careful with who he selected as his replacement. Now he had almost 2 weeks worth of mail to catch up on. He'd have to leave a couple hours early in order to deliver them all. He grimaced down at the large pile of mail then knelt to begin sorting it, hoping none of his customers would be too upset.

* * *

**xxxxxxxx**

Link had defeated the Iron knuckles and as he sat on the floor panting for a few minutes, he remembered about the letter. Pulling it out of his tunic, he ripped open the envelope and unfolded the piece of paper.

"Hero Of Time, it has come to my attention you have been going after my magical relics. There is no way you can defeat me as my new powers are something you can only dream of. You are weak and pathetic compared to me and will be crushed before you even lay eyes on me! Even if you do manage to destroy the relics, it won't make any difference. You're only giving me more time to put my plan into action. The only honourable thing you can do at this point is roll over and die so your body can be devoured by the skullfish!

Yours Ganondorf"

Link looked up at Navi in shock. "Ganondorf just sent me hate mail!"

Ganondorf was beyond furious. He was so livid, his entire body shook from the repressed rage. Drawing his sword, he stabbed the messenger dinolfos through the chest before the creature had time to jump out of the way. Using his boot to push the dead dinolfos off his sword, he turned blazing eyes on the other minions in the room. They immediately ran for it, closing the door after them. Having no one else to vent to, Ganondorf let out a yell of fury and kicked his desk over.

The blasted Hero of Time had somehow managed to defeat his water temple and was now on his way to the demon ice temple far to the north! Clenching his teeth, Ganondorf knew he'd have to try even harder to reinforce the next temple. What did it take to kill that boy?

Righting his desk, he took a few deep breathes, trying to calm himself then bent to pick up his fallen papers. Setting them on his desk, he pulled out the map of his ice temple. As his eyes scanned the different dungeons, the door opened with a bang.

Closing his eyes in resignation, Ganondorf didn't even have to look up to see who it was.

Sure enough a moment later, a loud "Heyyyyy!" filled the room.

"I have several letters for you today, Mr. Ganondorf!"

The Postman held up a large handful of letters as Ganondorf finally looked up.

"Ta da!"

"Did you deliver my letter as I ordered?"

"Of course, Mr. Ganondorf! I always get my mail delivered!"

"Good." he said with a nod, taking the letters.

Then, with an odd lightness to his voice he asked. "Did you tell him where I was?"

The Postman gave a gasp of indignation. "Of course not, sir! I value my customers privacy! Unless you put your address on the return portion of the envelope, it's none of anyone's business where it came from!"

Ganondorf let out a snort. "You better be telling the truth, postman."

The Postman put his hand over the rabbit emblem on his shirt and held up his other hand. "The code of the postmen protects their customers!"

"Whatever. I want you to deliver another letter for me."

"Yes, sir."

Ganondorf grabbed his quill and parchment and began writing fast and angrily. After a few minutes, he placed it inside the envelope and handed it over.

"Take this to The Hero of Time."

"Yes, Mr. Ganondorf! You can count on me!"

"Good, now get lost."

The Postman gave him a salute then ran out the door still having many deliveries before dark.

* * *

**xxxxxxxxxxx**

Link had almost completely forgotten about the letter during the chaos of fighting his way through the rest of the temple. The boss he'd fought had seemed extra determined to kill him and it barely gave a pause between attacks. Link quickly saw the monster's weakness however and lopped off it's tentacles every time one dropped next to him. After cutting off all the tentacles, there was just a head floating on the top of the water and was no longer very threatening. It glared and hissed at him but could do nothing. Link destroyed the relic with his sword as the monster howled in protest then used the teleport to get back to the entrance.

Once outside and safe, Link let out a breath of relief then remembered the letter. Pulling it out, he read it again and frowned. What did Ganondorf hope to accomplish with this? He must know by now that he wouldn't just quit! Knowing he had to hurry and find the ice temple, Link played Epona's song on his ocarina and waited until the horse appeared. One of the ancient demons had hinted that the next temple was far to the north so he mounted Epona and headed in that direction. After a quick stop in Hyrule castle town to refill his items, he rode across the field with fierce determination, knowing how serious the situation was.

He only rode for a few minutes however before a very familiar figure appeared on the horizon.

"Heeeey!" it yelled out as it ran towards him as linked stopped his horse.

When The Postman was almost to him, he yelled out. "I have several letters for you, Mr. Link! Six in fact!"

Looking up at the hero, he held up the pile of mail proudly with a smile. "Ta da!"

Link accepted the large pile of mail, surprised he received so many all at once. As he was flipping through them, The Postman gave him a salute and turned away.

"Well, my business is concluded here! Onward to mail!"

Link didn't even look up as he was too focussed on one letter in particular. The envelope simply read "To the Hero of Time" but he recognized the swirly writing.

Blue eyes narrowing, Link ripped into the envelope and pulled out the letter. As he read, his expression settled into a frown.

"Hero of Time, it has come to my attention that you still have not given up this futile attempt at heroism. Since you seem so determined to be a thorn in my side, I will give you an ultimatum: Stop now or it'll be you loved ones who pay. I already have your sworn brother Darunia and unless you want me to start mailing you pieces of him, you'll desist. You do not want to cross me this time, boy, you will lose! This is the last warning you'll get on this matter.

~Ganondorf~"

Link looked up, feeling uncertain. He had no doubt that Ganondorf was telling the truth and he really didn't want Darunia to be hurt but he couldn't stop the quest, the whole country was depending on him! He had to find Ganondorf and end this once and for all! Hoping he could save Darunia in time, Link let out a deep breath of worry. If only he could find Ganondorf he could end this a lot sooner! No one knew where the Gerudo King had gone, he'd just seemingly vanished.

Link looked down at the letter once more as a thought occurred to him. How did The Postman get this letter to mail? In fact, where did he get the other one from? Did The Postman know where Ganondorf was? Link looked out towards the horizon but The Postman was already long gone. Glancing down at the letter again, he knew this was something he'd have to bring to princess Zelda's attention. Shoving his letters inside his tunic, he turned Epona and rode off back towards Hyrule Town.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Zelda to say in the least, was surprised when Link told her about the letters. She read them both then furrowed her brow in thought.

"If The Postman does know where that demon Ganondorf is, why wouldn't he have told you?" she questioned.

Link honestly didn't know and gave a shrug. "I'm not sure, princess. Maybe the letters were left at the post office for him?"

"If Ganondorf has been using a monster to deliver the letters to the post office, why not just deliver them directly to you?"

Again, Link gave a shrug.

Handing the letters back to Link, Zelda rubbed her chin in thought. "We need to speak with The Postman." she said decisively. "And find out exactly what's going on."

"Where would he be?" Link wondered out loud. "He could be anywhere!"

"Well," Zelda began. "It's been a few days since I've received mail so maybe he'll come to us? He usually comes around this time."

"So we just wait around?" Link asked, feeling he should be making at some effort to find the man.

"You might miss him if you leave."

Knowing this was true, Link sighed and took a seat on the steps beside the princess. "I've never been very good for waiting around." Link explained.

"No," Zelda agreed a bit sadly. "You've been on one adventure after another since you were just a boy. You've never had a normal life."

"There's so much evil in the world, I don't think Hyrule will ever be truly safe." Link stated. "There will always be some boy with a destiny defending it to the death."

"With men like Ganondorf, nowhere is safe."

Link nodded, his gaze settling on the small garden in front of him. He watched a bumblebee as it lazily hovered over one of the flowers then let out another sigh. Zelda too was quiet in thought and both sat in silence as they waited for The Postman to arrive.

They didn't have to wait long before he arrived, letters in hand and friendly smile in place.

"Heeey!" he yelled as he crossed the garden. "I have several letters for you, Princess Zelda! Thirty-five in fact!"

Once he was before them, he held out the large stack of letters to Zelda as she stood to her feet.

"Ta da!"

Zelda was used to large amounts of mail so she took them without a word and set them down on the step.

"Well, my business here is concluded!"

As The Postman turned to leave, she called out after him. "Postman, wait!"

He paused and turned around. "Yes, Princess Zelda? Did you have something you wish delivered?"

"I have something extremely, extremely important I need to talk to you about."

His curiosity piqued, The Postman approached her, wondering what was more important than the mail. He glanced over at Link seemingly having noticed him for the first time and raised an eyebrow. The hero quickly stood to his feet and cleared his throat importantly.

"Link has brought it to my attention that you delivered some letters to him from Ganondorf." Zelda stated, looking The Postman in the eye.

The Postman nodded. "I did."

"And where did you find those letters?" she asked

"I didn't find them, they were given to me to be delivered!" The Postman responded.

"By whom?"

"Ganondorf." The Postman answered, wondering why this was so important.

"You know where Ganondorf is?" Link cut in, his expression serious.

"I do."

Zelda clapped her hands together, relieved they would finally be able to track down the gerudo king before others got hurt.

Link too was relieved as he asked. "Where is he? Where's he been hiding?"

The Postman shrugged evasively. "Can't tell you that."

Both Link and Zelda paused.

"...what?" Link said, not sure he'd heard correctly.

"I can't tell you where he is. If he didn't put his return address on the envelope then it's none of your business."

"What do you mean 'it's none of my business'? I'm the Hero of Time! I've been looking for him for weeks!"

"Link's right!" Zelda put in, not understanding why The Postman would keep it to himself. "If you told us his location, Link could fight him or you could even spy on him for us!"

The Postman's mouth opened and closed a few times in both anger and indignation before he managed to find his voice. "I am a postman, not a hero and I would never disrespect my customers privacy! Postmen can always be trusted for their discretion and I won't break that trust! To ask me to spy on one of my customers is insulting!"

The Postman turned away from them, nose in the air as he crossed his arms looking affronted.

Zelda and Link exchanged looks in shock.

"You're refusing to help us?" Zelda demanded.

"I deliver letters, nothing more." he stated. "The policies of my services are quite clearly marked on the post office door."

Zelda was beginning to get annoyed. "You will help us, this is an order."

"I will not."

"Don't you understand, Ganondorf is going to destroy Hyrule?"

"That is none of my business."

"You don't care that you can help us put an end to this war?"

"As I said, that's none of my business, I'm just a postman."

Zelda put her hands on her hips in growing anger. "Don't you understand what you're doing is treason! You're betraying Hyrule, your own country!"

"I'm Terminion."

Zelda hadn't known he wasn't Hylian but she didn't let that deter her. "I order you to tell us where he is! Right now or I will have you imprisoned!"

The Postman adjusted his mailbag then said. "I have mail to deliver. Have a good day, Princess and Link."

Without another word, he took off out of the garden at a jog.

Zelda narrowed her eyes at his retreating form.

"Link, follow him."


	5. A Hero's Duty

**AuthorNote:**

Sorry for the delay, everyone! My computer died and I had to wait until it was fixed! Hope you all enjoy this chapter and please review it to tell me what you think! There's one chapter left to go!

* * *

**A Postman's tale **

**A Heroes Duty**

* * *

The Postman was fast, extremely fast; it's half of what made him such an excellent postman. No one knew the provinces better than he and he knew all of the shortcuts. Link, who was not exactly known for his speed, tried to follow him for a bit that day but quickly last track of him in Hyrule field.

Huffing and puffing from the running, Link glared in the direction The Postman had disappeared to. Tomorrow he'd take Epona and see if he could follow him then. The Postman always came back to town anyway, so Link would just wait outside the post office until The Postman left in the morning.

Link headed back to town and as he settled himself outside the post office, he couldn't help but feel he should be going to the ice temple. Even if The Postman knew the way to Ganondorf, it wasn't a sure thing and meanwhile, he was wasting valuable time. Darunia was being held hostage and who knew if he were even still alive. Link felt a slight ache in chest as he thought about his sworn blood brother and clenched his fists in anger. Ganondorf would pay for this. They had crossed paths one too many times and Link would make sure he got what was coming to him.

He sat, back against the wall as he waited for The Postman, staring at the fountain, lost deep in thought. The Postman returned a little after dark and when he saw Link, he gave him an odd look but didn't say anything. He simply pulled out a key, unlocked the door and stepped inside then closed it securely after himself.

Link relaxed, knowing The Postman wasn't going anywhere until morning. Shifting about until he was comfortable, he closed his eyes. He dozed off and on until finally he heard the post office door click open. Instantly alert, he watched The Postman step out, decidedly ignoring Link as he made his way out of town.

Link jumped to his feet and ran after him, The Postman already pretty far ahead. Once to Hyrule field, Link mounted Epona and took off after The Postman, finally able to keep up. If The Postman realized he was being followed indiscreetly as it was, he didn't show it, never once looking back at Link.

Link followed him to Lon Lon ranch and watched as he delivered a letter to Malon then followed behind as he delivered several letters to various monsters in the fields. As the hours dragged on, Link became more and more impatient as this wasn't how he was hoping to spend his day. Wondering if The Postman was going to deliver anything to Ganondorf after all, he knew he should be fighting the ice temple. At least then he'd be making some progress.

He dismounted Epona as The Postman ran up the stairs to Kakariko village and quickly took chase. When he got to the top of the stairs, The Postman was already out of sight. Muttering to himself in frustration, Link looked around town but found no sign of him. Letting out a sigh of defeat, he turned and left town, set on beating the ice temple.

As The Postman ran up Death Mountain, he finally spared a glance over his shoulder. Seeing that he'd lost Link, he gave a shrug and continued on his way.

* * *

X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Ganondorf didn't even look up as The Postman made his usual entrance into the throne room. He continued flipping through pages of parchment for several minutes as The Postman fidgeted impatiently, waiting to be acknowledged. After a time, Ganondorf finally looked up.

"Are you aware that my demon temples are so deadly, even the most skilled warriors perish within?"

The Postman cocked his head. "I suppose so, sir."

"So far, only you and The Hero of Time have managed to get through one." Ganondorf stated, leaning back in his throne. "Although, I suppose with you, you didn't do any fighting."

"No, sir." The Postman said, wondering where the villain was going with this.

"You're an interesting creature, postman." Ganondorf stated. "I've put a bit of thought into you and I can't say I like you, but you're interesting."

"Er...thank you, sir?"

"It's only because of that fact you aren't dead yet."

Choosing to ignore that last comment, The Postman took the opportunity to hold out a handful of mail. Ganondorf accepted the letters then said.

"My minions told me they saw you on the 4th floor of one of my demon temples and I must admit I'm curious as to how you did that."

"A postman delivers mail anywhere, Mr. Ganondorf."

"Indeed." Ganondorf stated, setting the mail aside. "Tell me, did The Hero of Time say anything to you, when you delivered him my letters?"

"No, sir, not when I delivered the letters."

Ganondorf narrowed his eyes slightly. "Then he said something later on?"

"Yes, sir."

"What did he say?"

The Postman glanced towards the door wanting to be on his way but answered all the same. "He wanted to know where I got the letters."

Ganondorf's expression instantly turned to distrust. "What did you tell him?"

"That I got them from you, Mr. Ganondorf."

"Did you tell him where I am?" Ganondorf demanded, his tone suspiciously light.

The Postman shook his head. "No, sir, although he and the princess insisted. All postmen are sworn to confidentiality and I told them so."

Ganondorf scratched his chin in thought a moment then gave The Postman a skeptical look. "You refused the princess information? Information about me? Why would you do that?"

"If you had wanted she or Link to know your address, you would have put it on the letters." The Postman replied. "She even insulted me by asking me to spy for them!"

"Hmm." Ganondorf said, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly in amusement. "What did you tell her?"

"That it was none of my business, I'm just a postman."

Ganondorf let out a short barky laugh as he shook his head. "You actually said that you'd refuse to help save Hyrule?"

The Postman looked affronted and crossed his arms. "I'm not a hero, that is not my job."

"Yes, postman, you are an interesting thing. Are you sure you don't want to work for me? You'd be extremely valuable as a minion."

"No, thank you, sir."

"Pity." Ganondorf said, once again leaning back in his seat. He watched The Postman through slitted eyes for a moment or so then asked. "Why did you become a postman? It seems like you could have done much more."

"I enjoy my job." The Postman replied. "My entire family have been postmen for generations and I like to run. Some men are heroes, others villains, but I'm a postman."

Ganondorf simply shook his head and said nothing, picking up his paperwork once more. He didn't even notice when The Postman had left.

* * *

X X X X X X X X X X X X X

It had been a long journey but Link had finally found the demon ice temple. Ganondorf obviously hadn't had much time to reinforce this one as it was a lot easier than the previous. Link made it through the first several rooms without much problem and the mini-boss was nothing but a few snappers. When he reached the boss room however, he was met with something quite unexpected. Standing in front of him was Ganondorf himself! Or rather a shadow version of him.

The Shadow grinned at him peevishly, drawing its sword as it approached at a run. Link barely had time to draw his own weapon before the large dark blade was descending on him. Side-stepping to avoid the attack, Link lashed out with his own sword, catching The Shadow across the mid-section. It immediately disappeared into the floor and Link took a stance waiting for the inevitable attack. The Shadow lunged out of the wall at him and Link rolled out of the way just in time. Gritting his teeth, Link charged, throwing his full weight behind his attack. The swords clashed and Link felt the incredible power behind The Shadow's attack.

The Shadow suddenly pulled away and as it grinned at him, began creating a ball of energy in the palm of its hand. Link tried to jump out of the way but the energy hit him full on and he was knocked hard into the wall. Gasping in pain, Link shook his head to clear his vision as The Shadow approached at a slow stalk.

Link knew The Shadow was a pretty good indication of how powerful Ganondorf had gotten and was a bit worried. Was the real Ganondorf even stronger than this? Was this just the tip of the iceberg? He rolled out of the way as The Shadow approached and clutched his sword tightly. Jumping up at The Shadow, he caught it by surprise and stabbed it directly in the chest, and again it melted into the floor.

Remembering long ago, when he'd fought a shadow version of himself, Link wondered how many times he had to stab this monster to defeat it.

The Shadow remained as a puddle for several long moments before it reformed on the other side of the room. It swung his sword in an arc, sending a blast of energy at Link who ducked before it hit him. Link then stood at the ready, waiting for The Shadow to make the next move. The shadow eyed him for a moment before it began forming a ball of energy in its palm. It whipped it at Link who remained rooted to the spot, waiting for the right moment. Just as the energy got to him, he swung his sword at it, deflecting the power right back at The Shadow.

The energy hit The Shadow straight on and the room was enveloped in purple as The Shadow screamed in pain. The Shadow disintegrated, looking furious, its eyes dull and black as it disappeared.

Link let out a breath of relief and sheathed his sword, approaching to claim the monster's heart. He had the distinct feeling the real Ganondorf would be much harder to defeat than a simple shadow copy.

* * *

X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Ganondorf roared in anger, power radiating off of him in waves. The surrounding minions scattered as his power filled the room and just managed to get out as there was a deafening crack. Head lowered and breathing hard, Ganondorf clenched his fists, and gave another wordless bellow. The Hero of Time had defeated his demon ice temple in no time at all and now there was just one temple left. That blasted brat was ruining all of his plans again! Why couldn't he be stopped? What was that boy exactly?

Growling deep in his throat, Ganondorf stared straight ahead at nothing in particular as he seethed. He'd just received the news a few minutes ago that the temple had been defeated when in fact the hero had been there and gone for three days. He was probably already knee deep in The Demon Desert Temple and could defeat it at any time. He only hoped his Gerudos were putting up a good fight.

Slamming his fists down on the table with a snarl, Ganondorf stared at his plans with a sneer. He needed to step things up a notch, he really needed to hurt the hero. Ganondorf leaned back in his throne, his eyes narrowed as he pondered. He'd already taken The heroes blood brother so if he really wanted to leave an impression, he'd have to take the princess. He'd taken her before, she was an easy target but this wasn't exactly in his plans. If he moved fast enough, he might even be able to make it to the castle before The Hero of Time noticed what he was up to. Setting aside his plans, Ganondorf gave a wicked grin as he snapped his fingers, disappearing in a puff of green smoke.

* * *

X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Princess Zelda gave a stretch as she looked up at the sky, the dark clouds only growing blacker by the minute. She had a really bad feeling about today but her visions had been vague. She'd seen Ganondorf in the form of a screaming pig, standing atop a burning castle, and Link and herself as marionette dolls watching but unable to move. What confused her the most was the reoccurring image of a white rabbit. The rabbit was in the centre of all the chaos, not seeming to notice the blood and destruction around it. Not seeming to notice that it was burning.

Zelda had had the same dream every night for a week now but she was still trying to make sense of it. She knew if she could decipher it, Link would be given the advantage over Ganondorf but the dream left her more confused than enlightened.

Sighing, she stood, brushing off her dress as she walked across the garden, deep in thought. She'd already gone to the sage Impa over her vision, but the wise Sheikah wasn't sure what it meant. Impa had simply suggested that Zelda listen to her heart over the vision and trust her first instincts but Zelda wasn't satisfied. She'd thanked Impa for her advice but secretly thought the speech was rehearsed.

As Zelda walked throughout the castle, head down in thought, she didn't even notice as she passed her father. The elderly king placed a hand gently on her shoulder and when she looked up, he offered her a smile.

"Do not fret, my dear, everything will be fine. It always works itself out in the end."

Zelda's blue eyes met her father's cooly, all the seriousness of a diplomat within them. "I will help the hero any way I can, father. Link can use all the help we can give him; he's not immortal."

"No, I suppose he's not," The king said with a sigh. "The demon Ganondorf seems to find his way around death but I'm not so sure The Hero could...All we can do is pray to the goddesses for his safety."

"I will continue deciphering my vision as well as pray for him."

The king gave her another smile. "Of course." he said with a nod. "But you look so tired, Zelda, you should rest and perhaps the answer will come to you?"

Zelda hadn't slept well in days because of the vision and knew his advice made sense. She offered him a very slight smile and gave a nod.

"Yes, father, I think a short rest will be good for me."

"Very well, I'll inform the guards not to disturb you." the king said, as he turned away. "Tonight is the solstice banquet but you don't have to attend if you do not wish."

"Yes, father."

As he walked away, Zelda looked after him with a frown. Her father was so easy-going and trusting, she sometimes worried about him. He'd once trusted Ganondorf and look what happened!

Rubbing her eyes as she felt the beginnings of a headache, she continued on her way through the castle. When she came to her chambers, she waved away the two guards and entered, looking for a few hours of uninterrupted quiet. She stood in front of her large vanity for a moment and noted the dark bags under her eyes. Turning away, she approached her bed and fell back on it with a deep sigh. Sinking into the soft mattress, she closed her eyes, enjoying the comfort around her. Just as she was drifting off, a sharp knock came at the door. Ignoring it, Zelda rolled over.

The knock came a second time, this time louder and more urgent.

Zelda wrinkled her nose in annoyance. "I'm resting!" she called out. "Please come back later!"

There was a hesitation then. "I apologize, princess Zelda, it's The Postman! I have a letter I need to deliver!"

Zelda sat up slightly and frowned. "Can't you come back later?"

Another hesitation. "Well, it is my last letter of the day, princess, so I'd very much like to deliver it while I'm here. It will only take a moment..."

Zelda rolled her eyes and slowly got to her feet. She straightened her dress and then smoothed her hair into place.

"Very well, postman, you may enter." she called out.

The door opened with a creak and The Postman entered, letter in hand. Zelda still had not forgotten his refusal to help her and gave him a disapproving look.

"You have already delivered my mail for today, postman, why not wait until tomorrow?"

The Postman cocked his head then glanced down at the letter. "This is not for you, princess Zelda."

Zelda simply stared at him. "What do you mean 'not for me'? You came to my room saying you had mail to deliver!"

"Yes, but it's not for you."

Zelda crossed her arms. "Well, I'm the only one here! Who could it possibly be for?"

The Postman glanced towards the closet, Zelda following his gaze.

"It's for him." The Postman said, pointing at the closet as Zelda stiffened.

Zelda's eyes widened as the meaning of that truly sunk in. She watched as the closet door slid open and Ganondorf stepped out, flashing The Postman an annoyed look. He focussed his gaze on Zelda and gave her a wicked smirk as he slowly stalked towards her.

"I have a lett-"

"Not now." Ganondorf snapped, pushing The Postman out of his way.

Zelda's eyes were round with terror and she was still frozen to the spot.

"It appears, princess, that you once again will be my little pawn." Ganondorf crooned, his eyes solely on her.

Zelda then seemed to find her voice and turned towards the door. "GUAR-"

Within a heartbeat, Ganondorf had her by the throat, cutting off any more sound. Zelda let out a choking gasp and stared up at the Gerudo King in dread.

"You're mine, princess." he whispered, his eyes intense and cold. "Where I'm taking you, no one will hear you scream."

The Postman who had been staring down at his sandals, trying not to observe any of this, was quite startled when Ganondorf grabbed him by the shirt.

"You've seen too much, postman." Ganondorf informed him. "I won't take the chance on you, not this close to the end. You're coming too."

Ganondorf let out a grunt as he concentrated his power, then with a few sparks and some smoke, they were gone.

* * *

X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Link sliced the giant scorpion's head clean off just as its tail shot towards him, piercing his arm. The poison instantly taking effect, Link collapsed to the floor, his eyes quickly becoming unfocussed. Just as his breathing was slowing to a halt, a fairy flew out of his tunic and hovered over him, doing its best to heal him. Link instantly felt at 100% again and sat up as the fairy flew away, its job done.

As Link stared at the scorpions heart, the source of its power, he smiled and looked up at Navi.

"We did it, Navi. This was the last temple, now we can fight Ganondorf!"

"We should tell Zelda!" the fairy suggested. "Ganondorf is in Death Ridge and she should know that we're on our way!"

Link gave a nod and slowly stood to his feet. He brought his sword down on the final relic and watched as it disintegrated. Sheathing his sword, he took the heart then stepped into the teleport.

One of the Gerudos had let slip Ganondorf's location in a fit of rage and Link hoped the information was true. He wanted this to be over once and for all and knew this battle would end with only one side victorious.

Once outside, he mounted Epona then rode off, across the desert, a new determination swelling in his chest. None of the Gerudos dared stop him as he rode by and he crossed the desert without incident. He could feel a new power coursing within him and as he crossed Hyrule field, and knew Zelda would be relieved to hear of the good news.

Knowing time was of the essence, he forced Epona towards town, not caring that horses weren't allowed. Link crossed the draw-bridge into Hyrule Castle town and instantly sensed something was wrong. The villagers were looking heartbroken and avoided his eyes as he rode by. The villagers spoke in whispers to one another and Link urged Epona on, getting worried.

He reached the gate to Hyrule castle and the guard posted, averted his eyes as he raised the gate. Link didn't give him a second glance as he forced Epona to go even faster. Once he reached the castle doors, he jumped from Epona's back and approached, feeling dread rising. One of the guards at the door, gave Link a look of extreme sympathy then cleared his throat.

"Sir, something happened while you were away..."

Link paused. "Tell me what has happened! Is Zelda alright?"

The guard paused. "We're not sure, sir, she's missing. She disappeared sometime yesterday afternoon."

"What? Was it Ganondorf?"

"We're not sure, sir, but that would be my guess. The Postman was the last person to see her. He went into her chambers to deliver a letter but never came out again. We can only guess as to what happened."

Link's expression darkened considerably. So The Postman was working with Ganondorf! He should have known, it was so obvious!

Gritting his teeth in anger, Link turned away and headed back towards Epona. He wouldn't be fooled again, The Postman would pay for what he'd done.


	6. The Fight for Hyrule

**Authornote**:

Hey everyone! So here's the final chapter of A Postman's Tale! This chapter is a lot darker than the others for obvious reasons so the rating has been changed to 'T'. If you've enjoyed the story please let me know what you thought. I may do an epilogue later on, just to round everything up nicely.

* * *

**A Postman's Tale**

A Fight for Hyrule

* * *

The Postman glanced up at Zelda from his place against the wall but the princess pointedly looked the other direction. The cell they shared was dark, dirty and cold and both tried to ignore the skeleton laying in the centre of the floor. Zelda had taken a seat on the only cot and sat silently, her arms crossed, looking anywhere but The Postman. Ganondorf had obviously learned from the last time, as the cell they were in had bars quite close together so there'd be no escaping.

The Postman had laid his empty mailbag on the floor and was sitting cross-legged on top of it, as he stared listlessly through the bars. He still had Ganondorf's letter clutched tightly in his hands and let out a heavy sigh, wondering how long he'd be imprisoned this time. He looked up at Zelda again, but she was still staring heatedly away. Knowing he should at least say something, he cleared his throat a bit awkwardly.

"I'm not a hero." he said as way of explanation.

Angry eyes flitted over to him. "You're right," Zelda snapped. "You're not."

"If I were a hero, I would have tried to stop him." The Postman continued, feeling that she needed some sort of apology.

"I see now that you could never be a hero; you're a coward." Zelda spat.

The Postman didn't answer, simply letting out another sigh and once more looking through the bars. "Link will come for you, you know this."

Zelda gave him a derisive snort. "Of course he'll come for me! He'll always come for me because that's what a hero does! He doesn't stand by and watch as a woman is attacked and then kidnapped. He would have stopped that monster."

"You're right," The Postman said. "He would have."

Hugging her arms to herself from the cold, Zelda gave him an angry frown. "I just don't understand you," she stated. "You're blind to everything! War, famine, death all around you, but all you see is your mail! I've never met such a closed-minded person as you!"

The Postman ran a finger over the emblem on his mailbag and said nothing as Zelda glared in his direction. After several minutes, it was Zelda who broke the silence.

"I suppose it's unfair of me to hold you at Link's standards; you've never been a warrior and have never had a reason to fight." she said a bit more calmly. "I forget sometimes that, Link's and I's lives are very different from the average citizen. Most people don't seem to care what's happening around them unless it affects them personally."

Zelda gave a heavy sigh and continued. "Ganondorf could be standing right on their doorstep but they look right past him until the day he knocks."

The Postman wasn't sure what to say to this so he said nothing and continued fiddling with the strap of his mailbag as Zelda gave him weary look.

"Hyrule is only the beginning you know."

The Postman glanced up.

"Once he takes over Hyrule, he'll begin moving onto the other provinces. Termina will be attacked eventually as well, and any family you have there might be hurt or killed in the war. You say it's none of your business but you're wrong. He'll take everything you care about and grind it into the ground."

The Postman honestly hadn't considered that possibility and frowned a bit thinking of the family he barely ever saw. His gaze settled on the letter in his hand and he turned it over as he thought. His entire family had been postmen for many generations and he'd been taught since birth that the mail was the most important thing in all of the universe. With twelve younger brothers and sisters, The Postman had left early on in life and had made his parents proud. He was the best postman in the lands and his job meant everything to him.

"They'd understand." The Postman replied, clutching the letter tightly in both hands. "My family would understand..."

Zelda gave him a look of disbelief and shook her head. "Unbelievable."

Leaning against the cold wall, Zelda looked away from him and both fell into a silence, each in their own thoughts.

XXX X X X X X X X X X X X X

Link stood on the cliff overlooking Ganondorf's castle and scowled. The castle radiated a dark power, the walls shimmering from a protective spell. Glancing up at the storming sky, Link began his descent, determined and angry. The rain made the rocks slick, and as Link climbed down, he gritted his teeth. It only seemed to rain on the worst of days; the days where he had to fight for all of Hyrule. It was as if the goddesses themselves were weeping at what was to come. He loathed the rain for this reason; oh how he loathed it. It seemed to devour the sky and consume everyone in a suffocating veil as they waited for death. Death that would surely come if he failed.

His hair plastered to his face, Link let out a deep breath as his feet found solid ground once again. He stared up at the castle and pulled out his ocarina, knowing this would be the most difficult battle yet. He played the song of demons and instantly felt coldness wash over him as the magic surrounded him. Stepping up to the wall, he placed his hands against the surface and pushed the magic into the stone. There was a loud crack and when Link looked up, the barrier was gone. Putting away his ocarina, he pulled out his longshot and aimed at one of the towers high above his head. Hitting his target, the longshot instantly pulled him up and Link jumped off onto the roof. Drawing his sword, Link looked around himself with narrowed eyes, then cautiously began looking for a way into the castle.

He found what looked like it had once been a trap door but someone had boarded it up securely, obviously trying to block any and all ways inside. Placing a bomb on top of it, Link backed up as it exploded, sending splinters of wood everywhere. His sword clenched tightly in his hand, Link gave one glance down the dark, seemingly endless hole, then jumped in.

XXX X X X X X X X X X X X X

Zelda rubbed her arms, trying to get some feeling back into them and looked out through the bars as a guard passed by. She had tried negotiating with them, but the guards were uncouth beasts who mocked her for her efforts. Zelda had offered them everything she could think of to release her but nothing she had interested them. Frowning, Zelda looked down at The Postman who had been silent a long time. He had watched her failed attempts at winning over the guards but hadn't said a word.

"I suppose you think it's funny that I'd lower myself to make deals with moblins." she said, feeling cross. "That the heir to the throne can't even escape a dungeon."

The Postman slowly shook his head. "No, princess." he answered politely. "I don't judge."

Zelda frowned at him. "Why aren't you trying to escape? Don't you know that Ganondorf is planning on using me against Link? He'll probably just kill you."

The Postman glanced down at the letter in his hands. "Mr. Ganondorf said to deliver the letter later, so I'm just waiting for a bit."

Zelda stared at him in disbelief. "Wait. You mean you know of a way to escape here?" she demanded.

The Postman gave a nod.

Zelda stood to her feet. "Where? How?"

"I plan to ask the guards to release me."

"What? Have you not been paying attention? I just spent the last two hours trying to get them to release us! The guards are too loyal to that monster Ganondorf to betray him."

"Yes, and that's why they'll release me. They won't let you go but they will me."

Zelda stepped over the skeleton so she was standing directly in front of The Postman and placed her hands on her hips. "Explain." she ordered.

"I'm a postman, every creature in Hyrule knows this." was his simple answer.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

The Postman's gaze shifted up to a grate in the ceiling. "You could always try escaping through that." he suggested.

Zelda stared at the grate in question then back at The Postman. "I can't reach that." she stated. "And it's also rusted."

The Postman raised a brow but said nothing.

Zelda crossed her arms. "Fine then, escape. Show me how it's done."

"It's still too soon to deliver the letter. When people tell me to come back, I usually wait until the next day."

Zelda gave him a 'look'. "It must be almost morning by now! We've been in here for hours!"

"Yes," The Postman said with a nod. "But I don't start delivering mail until six o'clock and it's only a bit after five."

Zelda began tapping her foot impatiently as she gave The Postman a look which could only be described as irritated.

"Link is probably already on his way. If we don't escape now then it'll be too late! Ganondorf will kill you and use me as a human shield. Link won't be able to use his full power for fear of hurting me and Ganondorf will exploit that as much as possible."

The Postman seemed to consider that a moment as he stared out through the bars. Flipping the letter over in his hand, he gave a frown.

"It's impolite to deliver the mail too early."

"Do it now or I'll rip that letter into shreds." Zelda warned, through playing his games.

The Postman's eyes widened dramatically and he clutched the letter to his chest protectively. "You'll do no such thing!"

Zelda took a step towards him. "Do you really want to chance that?"

The Postman actually looked terrified for a brief moment as he slowly shook his head.

"Then go." Zelda ordered.

Still holding the letter protectively, The Postman slowly stood to his feet. "I suppose I could leave a few minutes early..." he said, still eyeing Zelda warily. "But they won't let you go, only me."

"We'll see." she stated.

The Postman dusted himself off, straightened his hat then shook the dust off his mailbag all under Zelda's impatient stare. Putting on the mailbag, he placed the letter safely within, then turned to the bars of the cage. As the guard passed by, The Postman gave a friendly smile and said.

"Excuse me, Mr. Moblin."

Unused to being addressed like that, the moblin squinted its eyes at him, and scowled. "What you want?" it demanded.

"It's time for me to be released now." The Postman said politely. "I have a letter to be delivered."

"A what?"

The Postman pointed to the badge on his shirt then said. "I'm The Postman; I deliver mail and I have one to deliver to Ganondorf."

The moblin snorted skeptically and turned away. "Sure."

Frowning, The Postman stuck his nose up in the air. "I need to be released so my mail isn't late. Ganondorf will not be pleased if he doesn't get his mail on time."

Slowly, the moblin turned back to face him. "You don't gots a letter." it said with conviction.

The Postman pulled the letter out so the moblin could see the name on the front. It squinted as it struggled to read the name and when it did, its eyes widened.

"A letter for the master!" it exclaimed, shocked.

The Postman nodded. "Do you think he'll be very happy with you, if he finds out you refused to allow The Postman to deliver his mail?"

"Give to me, I deliver it."

The Postman pulled the letter away from the bars and adamantly shook his head. "You are not a postman and only postmen are allowed to deliver the mail. I apologize but I have to deliver it."

"Why you in cell if you mailman?"

"Mr. Ganondorf told me to wait before I delivered the letter."

The moblin seemed to be struggling internally and it scrunched its face up as it thought a moment. It had seen first hand how violent Ganondorf got when he was angry and really didn't want to experience that. It looked The Postman up and down and knew the scrawny man was no threat to Ganondorf so it grudgingly nodded.

"Okay, you give the master his letter. He in tower."

"I know." The Postman replied, as the moblin unlocked the cell.

Zelda's mouth was agape as she watched this but quickly stepped forward as the cell door was opened. She went to follow after The Postman but the moblin quickly put his spear to her throat.

"Not you! You stay!"

"But...I'm with him!" Zelda said. "I'm his assistant!"

The moblin pushed her back a step. "No you not."

"Yes, I am." Zelda said, her voice taking on an authoritative tone. "How can a postman deliver mail without his assistant?"

The moblin frowned at her but turned to The Postman all the same. "This true?"

The Postman stared at Zelda a very long moment before turning away. "No." he answered to Zelda's horror and anger. "It's not."

"You're a coward!" Zelda yelled furiously. "You're too afraid to see what's happening around you! Coward!"

He began to walk away through the dungeon, then stopped, foot on the stairs to leave. His shoulders were hunched as if trying to decide something quite difficult and he stared fixedly ahead. After what seemed a very long minute, he said.

"She's not an assistant, she's been promoted to customer relations." he stated.

The moblin scratched its head in confusion. "So she is with you?"

The Postman still hadn't turned around. "Yes."

The moblin stared between Zelda and The Postman uncertainly but shrugged. It didn't want to go against his master so he had to let the strange blond girl go as well.

"Fine." it said, stepping aside.

Zelda stared at The Postman in surprise as she followed him up the stairs, but he said nothing more. Once out of the dungeon, The Postman finally looked up at her, met her eyes briefly then ran off, letter in hand.

XXX X X X X X X X X X X X X

Link sliced through the deku scrub easily, sending leaves flying around him in a shower of bloodied green. Picking up the small key, the deku scrub had dropped, Link approached the next door and unlocked the chains, watching as they fell to the floor. The door opened and Link stepped through, only to be immediately attacked by a wolfos and several iron knuckles. Link dodged and attacked, his mind a frenzy of anger. When all the enemies were dead, Link took a deep breath and approached the next room. When he entered, he found Darunia in a cage high above the floor, lakes of fire beneath him. The Goron looked injured and tired but when he saw Link he gave him a toothy smile.

"Brother, I knew you would come for me!" he called down, his voice sounding dry and painful.

Link looked up at his Goron friend and felt a great sadness fill him at the sight of Darunia in such a condition. The Goron was the leader of his tribe, the strongest warrior they had and incredibly proud. To see him looking ragged and thin made Link's anger only grow stronger. Ganondorf would pay for all he'd done.

"Cut the rope!" Darunia yelled, pointing at the rope holding the cage. "A little fire never hurt me!"

Link looked at the roaring fire uncertainly but did pull out an arrow. Taking careful aim, he let the arrow fly and watched as the cage plummeted, landing in the fire with a loud crash. There was only a slight hesitation before a large flaming ball rolled towards him and stopped once to safety. Darunia uncurled himself then sat panting, as Link knelt next to him in concern.

"Thank you brother. You've saved me once again."

Link gave the Goron a smile and helped him to his feet, the proud Goron allowing it.

"That evil king, Ganondorf is in the tower." Darunia told him. "You must have noticed the barrier on the tower stairs. You'll need the boss key to unlock it then you can fight him."

Link gave a nod then asked. "Do you know where I can find it?"

Darunia nodded. "Yes, brother. I overheard Ganondorf telling his minions where he was going to hide it."

"Where?" Link pressed eagerly.

"He placed the key in an envelope and mailed it to himself." Darunia said gravely. "The Postman has it."

Link's eyes narrowed. "Of course he does."

XXX X X X X X X X X X X X X

The Postman ran up another flight of stairs, the letter clutched tightly in his hand. A slight jingling from inside the envelope could be heard but The Postman didn't notice. He was already halfway up the tower stairs and was determined to deliver the letter as he'd never failed a delivery before. Whether there be a war, flood or famine, The Postman always did his job.

He reached the barrier and stopped, knowing that hadn't been there before. Placing a hand on the shimmering barrier, he received a hard shock that threw him backwards down the stairs. He slid down about five steps before stopping himself and wincing at the new bruises he had. Frowning, he got back to his feet and stared at the barrier, knowing he had to find a way around it. Sure there was another way into the tower besides this staircase, he turned and ran down the stairs, determined.

When he was on the main level, The Postman ran towards the main door, going to look for a way up from the outside. He definitely wasn't expecting Link to step into his way, sword drawn.

The Postman skidded to a halt and stared at Link as the hero approached him, teeth clenched into a snarl.

"Excuse me, Mr. Link, I have a letter to deliver."

Link narrowed his eyes at the envelope in The Postman's hand. "Give it to me." he ordered.

The Postman cocked his head in confusion. "Give you what?"

"You know what." Link snapped, taking a step closer.

The Postman gave him a shrug. "Sorry, Mr. Link but I really don't."

"The letter." Link ground out from between his teeth. "Hand it over."

The Postman gave Link an apologetic smile and shook his head. "Sorry, Mr. Link but this letter's not for you."

"I know very well who it's for and if you don't hand it over right now, then I'll take it by force."

The Postman gaped like a fish for a moment then instinctively clutched the letter to his chest and backed away. "Mr. Link! You're not allowed to read other peoples mail! It's an invasion of privacy!"

"We both know that's not a letter you're carrying and I want it now." Link demanded.

The Postman backed up further. "No! It isn't addressed to you, Mr. Link!"

Link made a lunge for the letter and caught the corner of it. The Postman let out a yell of outrage and didn't let go, being dragged with it as Link gave a hard tug. Link pulled on it as hard as he could but couldn't break The Postman's hold. Furious, Link reeled back his other arm and clouted The Postman hard across the temple with his sword, sending the smaller man crumpling to the ground, dazed. Link gave The Postman a look of disgust then turned away to open the envelope.

The Postman's vision was spinning and blurred as he clutched at his head, stunned. Blinking heavily, he grimaced and looked up at the green blur that was Link. That's when he heard the sound of tearing paper. Every instinct coming to life in a panic, The Postman sprung to his feet and lunged at Link before the Hero could finish tearing into the envelope. Startled as The Postman jumped onto his back latching himself around his neck, Link stopped opening the letter. He swung his arms at The Postman, trying to dislodge the man but he couldn't reach him. Link's sword was sheathed and The Postman's legs were wrapped firmly around his middle, making the hero unable to draw it. Although The Postman wasn't hurting him, Link was embarrassed at the fact he couldn't free himself.

"Get off of me!" Link yelled.

"You must give the letter back, Mr. Link! I cannot allow you to take someone else's mail!" The Postman insisted, his voice panicked.

"I said get off me!" Link bellowed, trying to land a hit on The Postman to no avail. "I'm not giving it back!"

Suddenly Link let out a sharp cry and clutched at his shoulder, dropping the letter in surprise. "You bit me!"

"It's not your mail!"

Now furious, and still trying to hit The Postman off of him, Link threw himself backwards against the wall, causing The Postman to let out a cry of pain and fall off of him onto the floor.

Turning to The Postman, Link narrowed his eyes in fury. The Postman gasped for a moment, then his eyes fell on the fallen letter by Link's feet. Quick as lightening, he rolled and grabbed the letter before Link had a chance to react. When Link saw what he'd done, he unsheathed his sword.

"Now I'm mad, postman." he snarled. "Give me that letter now!"

"Never." The Postman replied, backing up against the wall. "A postman's job is to protect the mail and I'll never give it up!"

"You chose your side the moment you laid a hand on the princess and now you'll see what happens to anyone that takes that monster's side!"

The Postman had no idea what Link was talking about but kept his eyes firmly on the sword, as Link approached him.

"I've known you since I was a child and I never once suspected you were capable of this!" Link hissed. "The princess could be dead and it's all because of you!"

"The princess?" The Postman repeated, not sure he'd heard correctly. "But she's fi-"

He cut off abruptly as Link made a grab for him. Ducking under the heroes arms, The Postman ran only a step before Link tripped him, causing him to fall flat on his face. As The Postman rolled over, nursing a bloody nose, Link's sword was pressed against his throat, instantly halting him.

"I don't want to do this." Link said, giving him an almost pitying look. "Give me the envelope."

The Postman closed his eyes but didn't let go of the envelope, the only indication he was affected at all was the slight tremble of his hands. Link frowned down at him, his eyes settling on the rabbit emblem on The Postman's shirt and hesitated, memories surfacing from long ago. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Link pointed the sword at The Postman's chest then said.

"I don't know why you chose to work for him, but know this. I can never forgive you for what you've done and if you don't give me the envelope then I will kill you."

The Postman shook his head. "I can't, I just can't."

"You've made your decision." Link said, taking a deep breath, raising the sword above his head.

Link had never killed a creature he knew let alone a person and despite his overwhelming fury at The Postman, he didn't want to kill him. He really didn't but The Postman had chosen evil and Link had to get the key to protect Hyrule. Not able to look, Link brought the sword down, wincing when sword met flesh. The Postman let out a small sound of surprise and when the sword was pulled away, his eyes were wide with pain. Link met his eyes sadly as the hero knelt next to him and removed the letter from his hands, The Postman unable to hold onto it any longer.

The Postman held a hand against his bleeding stomach and watched Link rip into the envelope then looked away. He'd failed as a postman and allowed the mail to be stolen. He didn't deserve to be a postman. Link gave him one final look of pity, then stood, sword in hand and began heading to the tower.

The Postman looked down at the growing puddle of blood, his clothes no longer white and closed his eyes. His mind felt light and somewhat dreamlike and he could no longer feel the pain. Wondering if this was truly how he'd die, The Postman lost consciousness.

XXX X X X X X X X X X X X X

As Link ran up the tower stairs, he felt somehow tainted as guilt tinged the edges of his thoughts. Trying his hardest to push it aside, Link unlocked the barrier and continued up the tower, sword drawn and at the ready. The closer he got to the top, the more determined he became and when he kicked the door open at the top, Link was met with the sight of a smirking Ganondorf.

"So, you managed to make it here despite me hiding the final key quite ingeniously if I say so myself. Impressive."

Link said nothing, simply clutching his sword and readying himself for an attack.

Ganondorf leaned against his sword as he looked Link up and down with disdain then said. "You've been a thorn in my side for far too long, boy. You've gotten lucky a few times and how you managed to rescue the princess already is beyond me, but I will kill you this time."

"What?" Link demanded. "Princess Zelda got away from you?"

Ganondorf seemed surprised but quickly masked it. "So you didn't rescue her." he observed. "How interesting but it's irrelevant."

Ganondorf lifted his sword and began walking towards Link, confidence in his every move. "You've lost this battle, boy."

Link took a stance and held his sword at the ready. Their swords met with a loud clash and Link was shoved back several feet, Ganondorf using his weight to his advantage. Recovering quickly, Link took a swing at Ganondorf who blocked the attack with a smirk. Without any hesitation Link lunged at Ganondorf, his sword aimed for the heart, determined to end this as fast as possible.

Ganondorf easily blocked it and allowed Link to take another swing at him then another. He blocked the attacks so effortlessly, it was obvious he was toying with him and he pushed Link back a few steps, giving a condescending laugh.

"You're no match for me this time, hero, I'm a hundred times stronger than I was before!"

Link met the villain's eyes fiercely and charged. Faking to the left, he swung upwards and cut Ganondorf across the arm as the villain didn't react fast enough. Looking down at his bleeding arm, Ganondorf's eyes darkened.

"I think perhaps it's time for you to see a new trick I've learned." he stated as a blue energy began surrounding him.

Ganondorf seemed to be concentrating as he pushed the energy into his sword, so Link took that opportunity to attack. He swung at the Gerudo's neck and Ganondorf just had time to duck as Link's sword went right over his head. Ganondorf swung out his now blue sword and Link blocked it only to receive a huge jolt of energy which sent him flying backwards into a wall. The concrete cracking around him, Link let out a pained grunt and slid to the floor. Ganondorf let out a booming laugh and approached the hero. Link, realizing this was incredibly similar to the fight with the shadow, knew he just had to trick Ganondorf into letting down his guard. Getting to his feet, Link began forming a plan in his mind.

"Surrendering already, brat?" Ganondorf demanded.

Link didn't answer as he slowly drew out his bow. Ganondorf gave an amused snort at the sight and shot a ball of energy at Link with the sword. Link dodged it then rolled into a full run as more shots were fired at him. Pulling out a light arrow, Link drew back his bow and fired it, just as he dodged another shot. Ganondorf knocked the arrow aside with his sword and fired another shot directly at the hero.

Link hit the wall hard and grimaced. Obviously that wouldn't work; he'd need to do this a different way. Rolling away from another shot, Link thought back to what Ganondorf had said just a few minutes before. Ganondorf claimed to be ten times stronger than the last time they'd fought, so perhaps Link wouldn't have to fight him a new way but could use a very old way. Clutching his sword tightly, Link turned to face the energy as it careened towards him. With a yell, Link brought down his sword and deflected the energy ball.

The energy ball shot back at Ganondorf so fast, the villain didn't have time to react and it hit him squarely in the chest. He was knocked to the floor hard and Link drew his bow. A light arrow was shot directly at Ganondorf and it struck him before the villain even realized what had happened. Snarling in pain and anger, Ganondorf pulled the arrow out and tossed it to the ground, his eyes small, beady shards of ice. He blasted at Link again as the hero jumped out of the way as the energy struck the wall, leaving behind a gaping hole. Link stared at the hole and quickly realized Ganondorf had stepped up the power in his anger and that much power could very well incinerate him.

Link dodged another shot then another, not seeing an opportunity to try and deflect any of them. He ran from spot to spot, quickly getting out of breath and knew he wouldn't be able to keep dodging forever.

Getting an idea, Link pulled out his boomerang and threw it as he jumped away from another blast. Ganondorf was much too angry to take his eyes off of Link and wasn't sure what was thrown at him but stepped out of its way before it hit him. Attention back fully on Link, he continued blasting as fast as he could, never once pausing. That was until the boomerang came back around and hit him in the back of the head.

The force almost knocked Ganondorf off his feet and he paused just a second to turn around to see what had hit him. That was all the time Link needed and deflected a blast right back at Ganondorf. Ganondorf's eyes widened but he didn't have time to dodge or redirect the energy. It hit him full force and he was thrown backwards into the wall so hard, Link distinctly heard the sound of his armour crack.

Ganondorf fell to the ground with a hole ripped right through his armour and shirt, blood seeping out of the deep gash in his chest. Breathing heavily, Ganondorf coughed up a mouthful of blood and grimaced at the pain. He knew his ribs were broken and struggled to get up as Link stalked towards him. Ganondorf managed to sit up slightly, his elbows supporting himself before he felt a sword against his throat. Looking up, his eyes met Link's. With a sigh, Ganondorf fell back to the ground, waiting for the inevitable.

"Never again will you threaten Hyrule." Link hissed, his eyes narrowed to slits. "This is how it ends for you, Ganondorf. On the ground and slaughtered like a pig."

Ganondorf's mouth curled into amusement and his red eyes bore into Link's knowingly. "We all know it will never end. Hyrule will burn."

As he said that word, both felt a blast of heat and looked up. The energy balls that had missed Link a few moments before had crumbled most of the walls and red hot flames were spreading like liquid. Link met Ganondorf's gaze evenly then raised his sword.

"You will die here and your body will burn." Link growled, bringing his sword down with all his might. He stabbed through the hole in the armour and Ganondorf stiffened in shock and pain.

His eyes cold and unforgiving, Link twisted the blade causing Ganondorf to let out a choked gurgle, astonishment written all over his face. When Link retracted the sword, Ganondorf gave a slight breath of relief before he smirked up at Link.

"W-well played, h-hero." he managed to gasp out.

Link gave him a look of disgust as Ganondorf gave him a shaky chuckle and the hero turned away. As the fire began closing in, Link gave the Gerudo king one final look before turning and disappearing through the fire.

Now alone, Ganondorf looked up at the burning ceiling and let out another gasp of pain. He couldn't believe the brat had tricked him the same way twice. He did see the humour in it but shook his head with a heavy groan, knowing he was seriously injured. Reaching into his chest plate, he fumbled around clumsily until his hands found what he wanted. Pulling out a bottle, he smirked at the contents. He'd kept the bottle of Great Fairy Tears and the hero didn't even think to check him for such things. The boy still had a lot to learn.

Using his teeth, Ganondorf pulled the cork from the bottle and took a long swig, instantly feeling the tears begin their work. To imagine, The Postman was the one to save him. Ironic. After just a few large gulps, he felt the wound in his chest close over and Ganondorf slowly sat up. He glanced around the room as chunks of the ceiling began falling in and knew he had to leave before he really did burn alive. Getting to his feet was more difficult than he was expecting but another sip of the tears helped with that.

As he stumbled out of the room, Ganondorf tried to summon up the energy to teleport but he still wasn't at full strength. The tears almost seemed like they were resisting healing him, but Ganondorf took another sip just to spite. As Ganondorf carefully took the stairs, he heard a loud crash behind him as the rest of the ceiling collapsed. The fire was all above him and he knew if he didn't get out fast then he wouldn't be getting out at all.

Now on the main level, Ganondorf began making his way to the entrance, but stopped suddenly when he saw the still form on the floor. Approaching, Ganondorf looked down at The Postman with a frown. The man was laying in a puddle of blood, a deep stab wound evident in his stomach. He wouldn't have expected the hero to kill The Postman just to get a letter from him; he boy had more darkness in him than he thought. Despite himself, Ganondorf knelt down next to The Postman and looked him over. Such a scrawny nobody but yet he'd been so useful to him. Not many had saved his life before, however unintentional it was.

Giving The Postman a sharp prod in the side, he was quite surprised to see the man slowly open his eyes. The eyes focussed on him and then The Postman took a deep, raspy breath.

"I-I'm s-sorry mr. G-ganondorf. I l-lost your l-letter; it w-was t-taken from m-me."

Ganondorf said nothing.

"I-I t-tried my b-best, s-sir, b-but I f-failed."

The Postman took another ragged breath, but was unable to continue. Ganondorf was still frowning at him, knowing he should have already left. He wasn't sure why but the loyalty The Postman had shown at his job, even willing to die for it made Ganondorf pause. Not many of his minions would go to such great lengths as their loyalty was questionable at times so he really looked at The Postman. This was the type of minion he wanted, incorruptible loyalty. The man may have annoyed him but he definitely had his uses.

Ganondorf looked at the bottle he held and saw there was about a third of the tears left. Debating for a moment, Ganondorf wondered if there was even enough left to save the man. The Postman's eyes had closed to just slits and Ganondorf swore under his breath.

"Call this a repayment." he muttered, pulling The Postman up, against him. Tipping the other man's head back, Ganondorf held the bottle to The Postman's lips and ordered.

"Drink."

No longer having the energy or will to fight anything, The Postman obediently drank from the offered bottle. When the tears were gone, Ganondorf looked down at The Postman not seeing an immediate improvement. He tugged up The Postman's shirt and was relieved when he saw the slow closing of the wound. Dropping him back to the floor, Ganondorf stood to his feet and dusted himself off. He could feel his own energy increasing by the second as the tears took full effect and he gave The Postman a not so gentle kick.

"Get up." he ordered.

The Postman's eyes opened and he realized the pain was becoming less and less. He looked up at the impatient Ganondorf then lowered a hand to his stomach. The wound barely even hurt now.

"I said get up." Ganondorf snapped.

The Postman shakily got to his feet and gave Ganondorf another apologetic look. "I really am very sorry, Mr. Ganondorf. It was unacceptable of me to allow the letter to be-"

"Shut up." Ganondorf snarled. "I don't care about that."

"Oh." The Postman said, shifting slightly.

"I want you to come with me to the Gerudo valley. I want you to work for me."

The Postman seemed surprised and quickly shook his head. "I cannot, Mr. Ganondorf, I'm a postman!"

"Not anymore you're not." Ganondorf informed him. "Did you forget what the hero did to you?"

The Postman hadn't realized all of the implications of Link's attack and his eyes widened.

"Exactly." Ganondorf said. "If you step foot onto the main lands, the hero will track you down and make sure he finishes the job this time."

The Postman simply stared at him with wide eyes, not wanting to believe it. "But-but why?" he asked.

"You're an enemy to the Hero of Time and also to the royal family. You'll be killed on sight and no one will ever trust you again. You'll be chased out of towns and will never be able to deliver mail again."

The Postman looked shell shocked and shook his head in denial.

"You know it's true." Ganondorf stated. "Coming with me is the only option you have. Work for me or always have a life of hiding, it's up to you."

The Postman was silent a long moment as he clenched his fists. Ganondorf gave him an impatient look.

"Well? Will you come work for me?"

Taking a deep breath, The Postman nodded.

Ganondorf gave him a pleased look and seized the back of the man's bloody shirt. Then, with a poof of smoke and a crackle of power, they disappeared.


	7. Author Note

**Author note:** -Hey everyone, just a quick update to let you all know that I'm currently working on the sequel as I'd like to tie up quite a few loose ends. I should have the first chapter out in the next day or two so keep an eye out! :) Also, thank you very much for the reviews, you guys help keep me motivated! 3


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